Lost Along the Way
by January Lily
Summary: Harry wasn't the only Potter displaced by the events in Godric's Hollow on Halloween 1981. Leila, Harry's twin, was also there that night. Now, headed into her sixth year, Leila finds that everything changes when she falls into the arms of Hogwarts resident Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. Fate steps in and throws her completely off course, leaving her lost along the way. ON HIATUS!
1. The Story Begins

**Lost Along the Way**

By January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Story Begins**

Near inaudible whimpers marred the serenity of the room as the moonlight shone softly and the curtains rustled from the gentle breeze. A petite teenage girl awoke in a sweat to find her hands clenched tightly around her pillow, holding on for dear life. She sat up and attempted to steady her breathing, but it seemed like too much to take in as she tried to bring herself back into reality.

"It was only a dream. Only a dream." The dream—nightmare, really—it had seemed so vivid, so real; but she was thankful to be waking up to _this_ reality, not that living in a world in fear of the terrors of Lord Voldemort was much safer. Leila Potter, young twin to "The Chosen One" Harry, slowly leaned her back against the cool, bare wall beside her bed in the tiny room. In her dream, there were only whispers in the strange darkness until a blood curdling scream pierced the droning whispers. Then, for a moment, everything grew silent until a woman's soft voice began to mutter _he's only a boy_. Then, the muttering seemed to grown fainter until the darkness focused on a pale arm with a Dark Mark seared into the flesh took center stage. A hand moved to cover the mark; a hand with an emerald green gem and the Hogwarts emblem emblazoned on it. Then the darkness enshrouded the scene and everything faded back into black accompanied by the sound of faint crying. The next thing she knew, she was awake in the room she shared with her brother at number four Privet Drive. She slowly exhaled and tried to process her dream. She had hoped that she wasn't nearly as bad as her brother when he had his dreams. The thought of her brother made her wonder if she had awakened him.

So, she held her breath for a moment to listen carefully to see if she had awakened him; but the only noise to disturb the peace of the room were the thunderous snores coming from the other side of the wall in the room belonging to her pathetic cousin, Dudley Dursley. Just thinking about Dudley made Leila roll her eyes in annoyance. That boy had been a thorn in her side for as long as she could remember. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again if she tried, Leila rubbed her eyes awake and then fell back against the pillow to watch the shadows play against the ceiling. She stretched her rather short leg out to the side of the bed, causing her blankets to go crashing down to the floor and her cat to jump to the foot of the bed. Leila chuckled softly as she reached for midnight dark cat, named Roman, and held him tightly in her arms only to have him immediately jump from her arms. Just her luck really…the cat…her blankets. She was really quite surprised that the blankets hadn't fallen during the violent thrashing in the night. No, it only took a simple stretch to cause them to go falling. Leila groaned as she looked over the side of her bed and to the floor where her blankets had fallen. Oh the joys of the top bunk of a bunked bed.

Her blankets lay in a heap on the floor where Roman now stood, kneading himself a new bed. The biggest problem with Roman's new bed was that it also contained Harry's filthy socks, feather that Hedwig had lost, rotten apple cores, Muggle and Wizarding candy wrappers, carelessly strewn spellbooks, dirty Gryffindor robes, and a summer's worth of _Daily Prophet's_. While she wasn't exactly the neatest person, she normally tried to keep this room clean to appease Aunt Petunia's ranting and raving; only this summer, she didn't have the heart to bother Harry about it. She knew her brother felt responsible for what happened last year to Sirius after the debacle at the Ministry of Magic. Last year, Harry had had one of his _dreams_ which had been manipulated by Voldemort and because of it, they had lost Sirius. Hell, she even felt partly responsible for his death. She should have tried to talk to Harry about the break-in at the Ministry; but she was too much of a follower to do so and now because of it, they were both mourning one of the men they had considered to be somewhat of a father figure. He went beyond being a godparent to just Harry, no he cared for her as well and that was something she would never forget. He also had been one of the Potter twins' final connections to James and Lily Potter—their parents. Leila twirled the necklace that hung from her neck, which had once been her mother's. It had been gifted to her from Sirius and he had given it to her at a time when she really needed it the most.

Merlin, she missed Sirius so much that sometimes the pain overwhelmed her, but she had finally come out of her depression last year that she refused to go back into one now. Last year had been rough on both Harry and Leila. She had been dealing with the death of Cedric Diggory, a boy whom she had considered one of her closest friends and confidants, not to mention that he was the first boy she ever fancied—despite how much Harry hated it. But her pain was different from her brother's. Last year, Harry had to deal with a smear campaign against him and she had been too caught up in her own grief to be there for him. So, now was her chance to make it up to her big brother. Although, she was a good shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen, the follow through and actually doing something about the matter weren't her strong points. But for Harry, Leila would do anything. He was family and more specifically: family worth living for.

"Leila," Harry whispered from the bunk below which startled her.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Leila hissed.

"Sorry, but you're the one talking in her sleep."

It was obvious from his tone that Harry wasn't quite awake yet. Leila couldn't help but chuckle under her breath before she composed herself enough to speak.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She didn't want to incriminate herself in front of her brother. The last thing she needed was Harry worrying about her with everything else he had going on, what with being the Chosen One and all. No, she was more than capable of fending for herself if she had to.

"You kept saying _he's only a boy_ ," Harry said pointedly.

"Something to do with Quidditch probably," Leila lied.

"Liar."

A silence overcame the room as Dudley's snores and Roman's meows began to grow louder. A sense of guilt loomed in Leila's stomach. Partly because she had woken Harry from a decent nights' sleep, but more because she had lied to him. If she could have changed something about the whole Ministry debacle, it would have been to talk Harry out of things. He had a tendency to jump into things too quickly. So if Harry didn't know what was going on…the less likely he was to jump to rash conclusions that would get them and others killed. Besides, Harry had enough of his own nightmares, real life or not, to deal with. Why just last night he had a nightmare of Sirius and he was practically crying out for his godfather in his sleep. Her heart had pained her so much last night. So, no, this was for the absolute best.

"You had a dream, didn't you?" Harry questioned.

"We all have dreams, Harry. We just don't always remember them," Leila said trying to maneuver her way out of the conversation.

"But I know you do. I know _that_ kind of dream…"

"Harry, how many times do we have to go over this? I've told you time and time again that any dreams I have aren't the same as yours."

"You may think that now…until you're forced to face the consequences."

"There aren't any consequences to dreams you can't remember."

There it was. Another lie. She was going to have to stop doing this sooner or later because she was digging herself in an even bigger hole with Harry. But she couldn't cause him more pain than he was already dealing with. For as often as he shielded her from things, aside from when they drifted a bit first year…it was her turn to do the same for her brother. Leila sighed.

"I know why you're doing this," Leila said. "But Harry you need to stop blaming yourself for Sirius."

"But he's gone and you and everyone else knows that it's my fault," Harry faltered.

"No, it's You-Know—Vol—Voldemort. He's the one who manipulated you."

"But I should've known better."

"Because obviously you could have foreseen everything that happened that night," Leila said sarcastically.  
"You know what I meant."

"Maybe Sirius is in a better place. I mean, he wasn't living much of a life as a wanted fugitive. At least now he's with Dad and I'm sure those two are pranking the hell out of whatever kind of afterlife there is…driving Mum insane too probably."

"Maybe."

"And if there's one thing you and I both know about Sirius, he would never in a million years blame you for any of it. Sirius loved you and wasn't he just minutes before telling you how proud he was of you? He wouldn't want you living like this."

Harry didn't respond to that. Probably because he knew Leila was right. Harry had seen Sirius' countless attempts to draw Leila out of her depression last year and he knew that Sirius wanted them both to live their lives to the fullest, knowing full well the horrors of a life without joy. Both of their respective godparents knew these kinds of lives. Alongside Sirius, Remus Lupin had been named Leila Mae Potter's godfather—each twin having a special sort of relationship with their respective godfather. Granted, the Potter twins had known their fair share of disappointments over the years having lived with the Dursleys. They had been stuck at number four Privet Drive since they were only babies because neither godfather had been able to care for them. Sirius had been locked up in Azkaban for crimes he didn't commit and Remus didn't trust himself to take care of two children with his _condition_. While they had missed out on so much together, Leila considered herself grateful to spend any time at all with them over the past couple years. Both men gave her the opportunity to learn about her parents. The subject of her parents seemed to fascinate her. It was a subject she never seemed to know enough about or ever grow tired of—there were just so many unanswered questions about her parents that sometimes she didn't even know where to begin. Suddenly, Leila felt something plop heavily onto her stomach.

"Bloody hell," she muttered.

Using the moonlight to see better, she spotted Roman's outline on her stomach before he began to crawl his way closer to her neck. Leila turned to see Harry standing beside their bunk bed looking up at her. Without even saying a word, Harry threw her strewn blankets back onto her bed. She quietly murmured her thanks to her brother, who didn't say a word in return. Instead, he pulled himself onto his tiptoes so that he could see his sister better. Her emerald eyes sparkled profusely to match his. She pursed her lips as Harry formulated what he wanted to say to his baby sister.

"Yes?" Leila questioned.

"You'd tell me, right?" Harry asked right back.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me if your dreams were like mine."

Leila looked away from her brother for a moment before biting her lip. What kind of answer was she supposed to give him? She couldn't tell him the truth that she was purposely keeping this from him; but she would also feel guilty about lying to him once more. Why couldn't things just be black and white? Why did there always have to be that grey area that made things more complicated?

"Leila," Harry groaned.

"I don't have a connection to Voldemort like you do," Leila responded, telling the truth but avoiding her predicament.

"Maybe you just don't know about it yet."

"I think I would bloody well know if I was connected to _him."_

"I'm just looking out for you. I'm just trying to keep my little sister safe."

"You don't always have to play the hero where I'm concerned. I'm only younger than you by twenty three minutes, hardly a significant amount of time."

"Significant enough for me to be older."

"Something you'll never let me forget."

"Because it was a job forced upon me."

"Because my job as "The Chosen One's" sister is any easier."

"I see you read the article then."

"I only glanced at the title," Leila said. "But I couldn't exactly miss it with it lying on top of my trunk."

"It's not something we can hide from; we both know it's true."

"Maybe the prophecy is wrong."

"And how often are they wrong?"

"If it comes from a credible source…then never."

"Exactly. Dumbledore trusts this one to be real and so do I."

"Dumbledore isn't infallible. Besides, it's too much to expect of one person."

"I promise to get as much help from you, Ron, and Hermione as I possibly can…"

"You know that there's no way in hell that the three of us are letting you do this by yourself. Sometimes, I swear you're really thick. Especially bringing up Granger the way you do."

"I just want to keep you all safe."

Harry reached his hand up to ruffle Leila's long dark hair, which caused to her swat at his hand only to cause his hand to get stuck in her long locks. She wanted to scream; but she knew that if she woke up Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, there could be a chance that they wouldn't let them return to Hogwarts. She would never put it passed them, especially after what had happened the summer between first and second year. Harry withdrew his fingers from her snarly hair before he gently pushed his sister. _Oh the joys of being the little sister,_ Leila thought. There were its advantages; but being picked on was definitely not one of her strong points. Thankfully, she was able to dish it out just as well as she got it…at least verbally. With a grin plastered on his face, Harry crawled back onto the bottom bunk. It was only minutes before Harry's gentle snores joined Dudley's rumbles, Hedwig pecking at her cage, and Roman scratching and the bed. She shook her head knowing that it was only a matter of time before she wouldn't have to put up with this symphony of sounds anymore. Leila stifled a yawn as she felt her eyes beginning to grown heavy once more. While this wasn't a normal occurrence once she woke up, she too was soon back asleep.

Leila was awoken the next morning by a sharp rap on their bedroom door. She slowly opened her eyes to find the sunlight streaming into the bedroom and the curtains still rustling. Harry's soft snores still came from beneath her, clearly unphased by Aunt Petunia's wake-up call. She liked to avoid conflict with her Muggle relatives at all costs; but she also knew Harry could use a little more rest. So, she decided that she would wake him after she had finished using the bathroom. Leila walked down the hall and much to her chagrin, found the bathroom door already shut and in use. She rolled her eyes knowing full-well the culprit: Dudley. Honestly, it was very impractical having three teenagers using one bathroom. But knowing the Dursleys, the fact that she and her freaky brother were even allowed to use the same facilities as them was probably purely out of the goodness of their hearts. How many times had she heard Uncle Vernon mutter a line similar to that? Probably too many times to count. As she waited for Dudley to emerge from the bathroom, she found herself sliding against the wall and to the floor. To pass the time, she decided to count the forty seven pictures of Dudley in the hall. Honestly, who needs that many pictures of one person? And that was just in a hall that hardly anyone saw. Downstairs was worse. While Dudley's face was plastered over number four Privet Drive, not a single picture of Leila or her twin graced any wall in the house. After waiting twenty minutes, she could no longer stand waiting; so, she plucked-up the courage and knocked firmly on the bathroom door.

"What do you want, Potter?" Dudley called from the other side of the door.

"The bathroom would be nice," Leila said sarcastically.

"Can't you see I'm using it?"

"Then I'll just go use your room," Leila threatened.

Dudley was probably one of the only people she actually followed through on her threats to. Well him, Harry, and that annoying prat Draco Malfoy. Otherwise, her bark was far worse than her bite.

"Don't you dare!" Dudley gasped.

Almost instantaneously, Dudley opened the bathroom door causing steam to pour out after him. Leila was knocked back a step from the hot moist air which reeked of cologne. Dudley avoided eye contact with his cousin as he scurried past her. Then again, Dudley never really made eye contact with her or her brother since the Dementor attack last year. That wasn't one of her finer moments. Moments before she had been snogging a random Muggle boy to try and drown her sorrows. Harry had yanked her by the arm to run with them only to have her realize that she hadn't even grabbed her wand. Stupid, careless mistakes…especially considering since she knew that Voldemort was running about the countryside. But that was a story for another time.

Leila quickly showered and dressed for the day in a green plaid shirt and jeans. She then walked back to her room to find Harry still sleeping, curled up with his pillow and her cat Roman snuggled up by his neck. She had one of the strangest cats; but she loved him anyway. Picking up her cat, she pressed kisses against his nose before she gently threw him onto her own bed. He meowed at her as she reached for her own pillow. Knowing that he wouldn't understand the gesture, she still put a finger over her mouth signaling for the cat to be quiet before she whacked her brother in the face. Harry groaned.

"Don't make me do that again," Leila threatened.

When Harry didn't move, she whacked him with her pillow once more.

"Knock it off, Leila," Harry groaned.

So, she whacked him again.

"Leila!"

Harry sat up in bed with his eyes practically glaring daggers at his sister. She stood there with a contented look on her face.

"Good morning, sunshine," Leila said sarcastically.

Leila flipped her wet hair at her brother, splashing him with drips of cold water before she grabbed her forgotten toothbrush and returned to the bathroom. Her wet hair hung limp as she started to brush her teeth. Suddenly, a knock came at the door which caused Leila to groan.

"Leila, I need to use the bathroom," Harry said impatiently.

"I'm brushing my teeth!" Leila attempted to say; but her mouth was full of toothpaste so the toothpaste foamed and spluttered from her mouth.

"C'mon Leila, I really need to go."

Leila rolled her eyes and spit the toothpaste into the sink; but she wasn't done brushing yet. She put the toothbrush back in her mouth keeping it in place between her cheek and teeth before opening the door. She rolled her eyes at her brother whose bed-head hair was worse than normal before walking out of the bathroom.

"Hurry up and no stealing the bathroom this time," Leila said.

Harry, who was still half-asleep, nodded his head before side-stepping Leila to get into the bathroom. Harry closed and locked the door behind him, so Leila leaned against the door while she continued to brush her teeth. She heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on and assumed any moment she would get the bathroom back; but Harry never came back out.

"Harry, I got to spit," Leila said with toothpaste foaming out of her mouth.

The shower turned on and Leila screamed her brother's name; but there was use trying to get back into the bathroom. She really should learn sooner or later that Harry usually steals the bathroom for her. Leila rolled her eyes and quickly ran downstairs and to the only sink available to her: the one in the kitchen. She bounded through the entryway and into the kitchen nearly knocking down Aunt Petunia who was opening the refrigerator reaching for something or another. When she finally reached the sink she quickly spit out the toothpaste which was already spilling from her mouth, before rinsing her mouth and lips with water. She wiped the dribbling water from her face with the back of her plaid sleeve before turning to her aunt and uncle. Leila awkwardly waved at her aunt and uncle with toothbrush in hand as to offer an explanation for her actions.

"Good morning Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon." Leila said sweetly.

Neither of them verbally responded. Uncle Vernon didn't even look up from his paper, but Aunt Petunia briefly glanced up at her from the eggs in the frying pan. Leila nodded and shoved her toothbrush back in her mouth before heading back upstairs to the room she shared with Harry. She climbed back up into her bed and put her long dark brown hair up into a pony tail. When Harry came back into the room Leila glared at him which caused Harry to laugh and Leila flung her toothbrush at her brother. However, Harry caught her toothbrush with ease and set it down on the desk.

"I'm glad you find this amusing, you prat," Leila said.

"You fall for it every time," Harry smiled.

"See if I'm nice to you ever again."

"Right, we'll see about that."

Leila rolled her eyes at her brother as he walked over to the mirror and ruffled his hair. Her gaze turned to the window where she spotted unsuspecting Muggles walking past Number Four. To them, nothing seemed off. Sure there were random disappearances that the Muggles couldn't explain; but they didn't know that the Wizarding World was on the brink of war. Aunt Petunia called the twins down for breakfast, something neither of them really looked forward to. Leila slowly walked toward the door as Harry scrambled to put on some normal clothes. Surprisingly, by the time she was at the stairs, Harry was right at her heels. With his longer stride, Harry overpassed her on the stairs as they walked toward the kitchen.

When they got to the kitchen, they found cold, leftover porridge on the table. Leila could tell that Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had already eaten because there was nowhere near enough porridge for two people left. After rolling her eyes, Leila looked over to the calendar to see that it was an even day meaning that it was Harry's day to eat the bigger portion. They had established this routine when they were younger to make sure that at least one of them got somewhat of a decent meal every other day. She was just thankful that they would be heading to the Burrow soon where they could eat as much as they wanted whether it was an odd or even day. As she sat at the table, she could see Aunt Petunia glaring at her from the sink.

"Good morning, Aunt Petunia," Leila said sweetly for the second time that morning, trying to appease her aunt; but the woman only mustered a scowl. _More of a reaction than usual_ , she though with a shrug.

"Sometimes I wonder why you even bother," Harry muttered from the seat beside her, shoveling tiny bites of porridge into his mouth.

"Because whether we like to admit it or not, they're still family."

"Family who wishes we never existed."

"It can't hurt to try. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? We don't get to come back until next summer. How awful. Besides, sometimes I get the feeling that at least Aunt Petunia cares more then she lets on."

"Doubt it."

Leila shrugged her shoulders again as she took a bite of the cold and overcooked porridge. This stuff was bloody awful. The sooner they got to the Burrow, the better. After the twins had finished eating their breakfast, Leila offered to wash their dishes; but Aunt Petunia quickly pushed Leila out of her kitchen. With a sigh of defeat, Leila headed back upstairs to find Harry seated at the lone desk in their room. He looked deep in thought as she climbed onto her top bunk.

"I've been thinking about your dream," Harry began.

"Because that's not creepy at all," Leila muttered.

"I think we should talk about it."

"I already told you that I don't remember much."

"But you remember something. What is it?"

"I—I," Leila faltered.

She needed to tell him something to get him off her back; but she didn't want to get him involved out of fear of the progression things escalated to last time.

"Most of it was really dark and fuzzy and…a Dark Mark," she finished with a mutter.

"A Dark Mark? You know that's for the most loyal followers of Voldemort. I think he could be using you."

"He isn't. I know he isn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because—because I actually mastered Occlumency."

Leila winced because she didn't want to rub that in to Harry's guilt; but it was the truth.

"I still don't like this," Harry muttered. "I think you should tell Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore isn't the solution to everything, Harry," Leila retorted.

"He'd want to know."

"Fine. Say he wants to know, he's a very busy man; especially now that he has all the Order business to attend to on top of Hogwarts affairs."

"He's not too busy for us.'

"Harry, it's not important enough to bother him over."

"Either you tell him or I will," Harry said giving his sister an ultimatum.

"I'm not bothering him with a silly dream and neither should you. But if it makes you feel better, I'll tell him if I have another one. Deal?"

Leila couldn't hear what Harry muttered; but she took his silence that he was going to take the compromise. As she settled back onto her bed, she called for her brother to had her yesterday's _Daily Prophet_. Harry bent over to the stack of old newspapers and carelessly tossed yesterday's paper up to her only to have it scatter all over her bed causing Roman to pounce on top of it attempting to attack it.

"Prat," Leila muttered.

She then gently tossed her cat to the other end of her bed as she tried to put the paper back in order. As she opened the paper, one picture stood out to her: the picture of Draco Malfoy and his mother with the headline _Fallen From Grace, Malfoy's Son and Wife Leave Trial._ Draco looked quite sullen in the picture, especially compared to how he looked when annoyed her. She almost felt bad for Draco…almost. In all honesty, she thought Draco Malfoy to be nothing more than a pompous, arrogant toerag. He had been nothing more than a prat since she had met him on her first day to Hogwarts. Apparently, Harry had an earlier meeting with him in Diagon Alley; but she had been in a different part of the shop and had thankfully missed an encounter with him that day. Being a prat was nothing new for Draco Malfoy; but he was a different sort of prat to her. From the day she had met him, he had tried to befriend her; but seeing how he treated her brother, she had refused him. The only problem with that was he had refused to leave her alone. The bloke followed her around like some lost lovesick puppy since day one of Hogwarts, no matter how many times she tried to push him away. It only seemed to make him come crawling back for more. Remus had once compared Draco's attention seeking to that of how her father pursed her mother; but that was clearly the farthest thing from the truth…or at least she hoped it was.

It was no secret that Draco hated her brother. He was actually quite vocal about that fact; but he would also constantly strive for Leila's attention, which usually annoyed her even more in the process. She wasn't sure when it happened; but according to Pansy Parkinson's strong hatred and Daphne Greengrass's confirmation, Draco fancied her. She tried everything in her power to push him toward any other girl and hate her; but her attempts always proved to be futile. She suppose it didn't help matters that she was often forced into spending time with him, which he without a doubt took to his advantage. The only joy she received out of his company was being able to push him toward pug-faced Parkinson, whom he always looked reluctant to spend any time with, especially after he had just been with Leila. Draco Malfoy was probably the one person who could easily drive her crazy, especially with the way he followed her…or at least the way he did.

Truth was, things had changed since the Ministry break-in last year. She had been part of the group of Dumbledore's Army that had his father outed as a Death Eater and imprisoned. Draco had directed all his anger toward Harry, even going as far as threatening him last year; but to Leila, he was completely silent. It was actually quite strange to not have him following her around; but with the end of the school year madness, she hadn't taken too much time to dwell on it. Part of her wanted to say that he deserved what happened to his family, especially after the way he acted…being a slimy git and all; but she knew that she couldn't do that, despite how much she wanted to. She couldn't because she could empathize with him; knowing that feeling what it was like to not have your family together. Probably one of the worst feelings in the world; one which she couldn't never even wish on her worst enemy in the world.

"What are you reading about?" Harry asked.

"The Malfoys," Leila said nonchalantly.

"Got off easy if you ask me."

"Because Azkaban is clearly a five star hotel," Leila said sarcastically. "Only with dementors."

"Dementors which are easily swayed to doing Voldemort's bidding ."

"Someone's been studying his History of Magic."

"It's common knowledge, Leila."

Leila raised her eyebrows at her brother before she returned her glance to the picture of Draco Malfoy once more. The boy stood rather tall beside his mother dressed all in black in only the finest that the Wizarding world had to offer. The boy who was spoiled with only the best from his Slytherin serpent tie clip to the Hogwarts ring on his hand. Leila shook her head and closed the paper and looked to her brother who was feeding Hedwig a treat through her cage.

"Are you all packed?" Leila asked her brother only to receive a noncommittal shrug. "Well, you'd better be. Dumbledore's going to be here at eleven."

"I know," Harry responded. "I read the note."

"Well, can I see it again then?"

"Erm—I may have lost it."

"Doesn't surprise me with this room."

"Come off it, the Dursleys don't care. Just as long as our freaky belongings don't leave the room."

"That very well may be; but you're forgetting you have a roommate who does care about the state of her room."

"You're just saying that because you can't find your mess under my mess."

"So, my mess is more important."

"I'll clean it if you like."

"No, we might as well leave it for the Dursleys to clean. If the smell starts penetrating the outside people might not think they're normal anymore."

Harry chuckled in response before he returned to playing with Hedwig. The Potter twins isolated themselves to their room for the day. While some people may not like isolation, in the Dursley household it was better than the alternative: spending time with the Muggles who hated them. Leila rummaged through her packed trunk and managed to find one of the few books that she owned that she hadn't read yet: Lockhart's _Magical Me_. With a sigh of defeat she picked it up. Only out of pure boredom did she decide to read the book. Beside, maybe there would be a chance of a decent laugh at her former Defence professor. Well, if you could call him that. The man was currently a patient at St. Mungo's and didn't even know who he was. Leila tried to force herself through the first chapter; but found the fraud's work to be rather dull. So instead, she opted for a nap cuddled up with Roman rather than be bored to death.

After sleeping for a few hours, she snuck outside to stretch her legs for a few minutes in the fresh air; but she made sure that she stayed in the back yard. The Dursleys obviously wouldn't want anyone to see her parading herself around the neighborhood. She lay on the grass in the backyard watching the clouds, something she had often done with one of her dear friends before his untimely death; but that brought a pang of sadness to her heart so she went back inside. Upon returning to her room, she found her brother was no longer inside so she snooped through his stack of _Daily Prophet's_ until she came to the one with the article about Harry being "The Chosen One." Seeing it made her rather content that they spent their summers outside of the Wizarding world. Sure, rumors had a summer to fester; but at least they got to be removed from the festering. There seemed to be no being proactive when it came to the rumors…they could only be reactive.

After hours and the Dursleys finally went to bed, Leila found herself cleaning up the bedroom only out of pure boredom. Looking at all the trash piled on the floor made her cringe on the inside. She wanted to yell at Harry who had perched himself at the desk again; but when she walked over to him, she found him with his head against the window pane and drool running down his face onto it. Careful not to touch it too much, she bent down and threw one of his dirty socks at him, which stuck to the drool on his face. This time she cringed outwardly as she criticized her brother.

"Harry, you're bloody disgusting."

Leila pulled her trunk out of the corner and opened it once more to make sure that she had everything. It really wasn't a hard task to do since she practically lived out of her trunk over the summers…unlike her brother who liked to take over the entire room. She crossed things off her mental checklist and when she was about halfway through her trunk, Harry suddenly popped out of the chair. He must have noticed the sock stuck to his face because he peeled it off and stared at it with a puzzled expression for a moment before he tossed it under the bunk bed. Harry then looked to his baby sister with a look of excitement on his face.

"He's here," Harry said.

"Let's go then," Leila said.

Harry then looked at the floor sheepishly before he quickly scrambled to reach for strewn spellbooks, robes, and other school materials that lay on the floor that had been covered by the newspapers. For a moment, Leila was amused by the flying stack of newspapers until Roman started to hiss. She reached for her cat before trying to coax him into his cage, knowing that Dumbledore expected them to be ready for his arrival.

"I thought I told you to pack," Leila groaned.

"Actually, you asked if I was packed," Harry said though the chaos of flying newspapers. "You never told me to do it."

"Harry James Potter!"

"I just need a minute."

"I'll meet you downstairs then."

With that, Leila closed her trunk before she locked it. She slung her bookbag over her shoulders, shoved her wand in the back pocket of her jeans, and reached for Roman's cage. It probably was true that girls packed too much; but honestly, she was taking everything that belonged to her name with her. If only everything that belonged to her name didn't have to be so heavy. With one last look back to her brother, she found Harry digging under the bed for something. He tossed an apple core over his shoulder missing Leila by only a few inches. Not wanting to be the target for the next thing he threw, she rolled her eyes and started dragging her belongings down the hall.

Leila could hear the conversation reverberating up the stairway to where she stood. Apparently, Dumbledore's arrival had woken up the Dursleys. That in itself was enough to make a person cringe; but what was worse was hearing the actual conversation. It didn't sound like Uncle Vernon was none too happy having Dumbledore in his home. Then again, Leila had never known Uncle Vernon to be happy to have anyone of their _freaky_ variety in his house. But this almost seemed worse than "normal." At that moment, it clicked. She realized that Harry had forgotten to tell their guardians that Dumbledore was coming to take them away tonight. If they had known, they probably would have had a party read for after they left. Instead, there was quite a bit of hostility in the air. Leila set her belongings down in the hall before she walked back to their bedroom door.

"Harry, did you forget to tell the Dursleys anything?" Leila asked sweetly.

"Can't you tell that I'm busy?" Harry grunted.

"Can't you tell that you forgot to tell the Dursleys that Dumbledore was coming?"

Harry listened for a moment as Uncle Vernon's shouts echoed into the bedroom. Harry groaned as he finished shoving his belongings into his trunk.

"You could have said something too you know," Harry muttered.

"Yes, I could have; but you're older and your responsibility. Besides, the letter was addressed to you," Leila said placing her hands on her hips.

"You're usually the more responsible of the two of us."

"Fine, I'll just go do the responsible thing and take care of your bloody mess."

"I'll do it," Harry groaned. "Just sit on my trunk quick."

Leila sat on her brother's trunk as he locked it shut before he rushed out the door. She could hear her brother's footsteps pounding down the stairs. When they stopped, that's when the shouting began to intensify. It probably wasn't fair to let Harry take the brunt of all of it, so she headed back down the hall to pick up her belongings. They were still heavy. If only she could legally use magic, this process would be far easier. When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs with her things, she found Harry talking with Dumbledore. The old man nodded in her direction which she returned. Maybe her eyes were deceiving her; but the man Harry so often glorified looked like he had aged a hundred years over the summer. It wasn't that she didn't like Dumbledore; because she did…but she just always felt like he was hiding something. And after finding out that he had hidden Harry's Prophecy from them all these years…part of her couldn't help but wonder what else the old man had been hiding from them.

"Aren't—aren't we leaving, sir?" Harry asked, interrupting Leila's thoughts.

"Yes, all in good time, Harry; but I'm afraid I have a matter I need to discuss with your aunt and uncle first," Dumbledore responded. "So, we'll only intrude a little longer."

"You think so, do you?" Uncle Vernon hissed as he narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore. "You have no right…"

"Either we do it now or I can find a time to bring a few Order members with me."

"Now is fine."

"This should go well," Leila muttered sarcastically.

Dumbledore ushered them into the sitting room. Leila took a seat beside Harry on the loveseat as Dumbledore walked around the room, looking at the countless pictures of Dudley that covered the place. Leila wondered if she was surprised by the lack of anything related to her and her brother; but she doubted it. He was a wise man, even a fool would know that. Dumbledore turned around to look straight at the Dursleys.

"As you no doubt are aware, Harry and Leila will come of age in a year's time…" the old man began.

"No," Aunt Petunia interrupted.

"Pardon me?"

"No, they won't be of age for another two years. They're a month younger than Dudley and Dudders doesn't turn eighteen until the year after next."  
"I'm sorry, I assumed that you were aware that in the Wizarding world one comes of age at seventeen."

"Preposterous!" Uncle Vernon muttered. "That's absolutely preposterous. Bonkers if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you. I'm merely stating a fact. Another fact remains and that is that the dark wizard Lord Voldemort has returned to this country. The Wizarding world is already in a state of war, which undoubtedly has reached the Muggle line. Harry and Leila, whom Lord Voldemort has already attempted to kill are in even greater danger than the day I left them on your doorstep fifteen years ago. I recall leaving you a letter about the murder of James and Lily, family to you, and I expressed a hope that you would be able to care for them as they were your own…like family..."

By this point, Dumbledore was somewhat shaking and the slightest hint of anger was evident in his eyes. Leila was surprised to see Dumbledore like this. The man almost always held his temper in check, so she couldn't help but look to her brother. Harry too had a slight look of shock on his face. Not only did they never see Dumbledore like this; but they had never seen anyone put the Dursleys in their place quite like this, especially not Leila or Harry. If they had ever talked like this to them, they probably would have ended up back in the cupboard without food for a week faster than one could say magic.

"You did not do as I asked. You have not treated them like family…the family they deserved after the travesty of losing their parents. Instead, all they have known is neglect and cruelty…" Dumbledore began again.

"You're off your rocker!" Uncle Vernon shouted. "I don't know where you think you come off…"

Professor Dumbledore stood tall over the wide man, causing him to instantly shut up.

"The magic I evoked over this house fifteen years ago means that Harry, Leila, and _you_ have powerful protection while they can still call this house a home; something you've hardly provided. No matter how miserable they've been here, how unwelcome, how poorly treated, you have at least provided them a room _purely out of the goodness of your hearts_ , rather grudgingly…making it a poor excuse for a home. Now, this magic will cease to exist the moment that your niece and nephew turn seventeen; in other words, when they come of age in the Wizarding world. Now, for the final favor I ask of you…I only ask that you allow them both to return to this house once more before their seventeenth birthday. This will ensure that the protection will continue until that time."

All eyes were on the Dursleys. Dumbledore looked at them rather accusingly, while Harry and Leila weren't really sure what expression they should be wearing. For a few moments, there seemed to be a staring contest between the two sides. Leila watched as Dudley sat there with a confused look on his face, Aunt Petunia looked flushed, and Uncle Vernon looked like he had something stuck in his throat…even to the point that his face was beginning to turn purple.

"I'll take your silences as your commitment," Dumbledore said.

Dumbledore then motioned for the Potter twins to stand, which they immediately did before walking out into the hall once more. Leila walked over to Roman's cage and gently stroked behind his ear through the bars.

"Now you both have your trunks packed?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's all right here," Leila answered.

"Erm—" Harry said as he began to rub his head.

"Doubtful I would turn up?" Dumbledore suggested.

"I'll just go—and—erm—finish it off."

Leila watched as her brother ran up the stairs before she looked to Dumbledore. She wasn't sure what to say to the man. She knew that Harry would want her to tell him about her dream…but there was part of her that felt that she couldn't trust him. She knew that Harry trusted the man without fail; but there was something in her that couldn't fully commit to that. The only person she probably fully trusted was her brother anyway. She had a terrible time trusting people. She knew that people hated her reservations toward them; but she always felt the need to protect her heart from being hurt because people always seemed to leave. So, Leila pulled Roman out of his cage and sat on the stairs to hold him in her lap as Dumbledore perused more pictures of Dudley and the Dursleys remained silent in the sitting room. After ten minutes, Harry finally came bounding down the stairs practically out of breath. He panted for air for a few seconds before Leila led them back into the sitting room to say goodbye to the Muggles.

"Bye, see you next summer then," Leila said.

"Erm—bye," Harry said.

The Dursleys simply blinked at them. Probably one of their better goodbyes. The twins walked back into the hall and Leila placed Roman in his cage once more. Dumbledore opened the front door and walked outside, expecting the Potter twins to follow behind. As Dumbledore started a brisk pace down the front walkway, Harry and Leila struggled behind with their trunks and other belongings. Dumbledore must have noticed, because when the twins reached them, he waved his wand and their things were gone.

"Sir, why aren't we going with our things?" Leila questioned.

"You will in good time," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. "But first, I'm afraid I'm in need of your help at the moment. We have a bit of a tight schedule to keep."

"Where are we going sir?" Harry asked.

"Some consider curiosity a sin. Frankly, I think it's a necessary part of learning; but right now, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit to have your curious appetites satisfied," Dumbledore said.

Leila looked to Dumbledore with an odd expression. The old man was always saying weird things that didn't make sense…at least not at first. Leila took in the surroundings of Privet Drive one last time until next summer. There weren't too many pleasant memories concerning the place, which didn't cause her any pain of parting the place. No, she was ready to be rid of the place. Only she and Harry had to come back once more. One more time for their protection. Dumbledore gently tapped her shoulder causing Leila to twirl around to face him.

"Miss Potter," Dumbledore said softly.

"Sorry, what was that?" Leila asked.

"Take my arm, please."

"Sir, your hand…"

"It's a rather thrilling tale if I do say so myself; but we have other matters to attend to. Please, take my arm."

Leila looked to her brother who nodded his head toward Dumbledore, motioning her to take his arm. She gently clutched his arm, just above his elbow when an unnatural sensation started to overtake her. She felt like she was being forced through a tiny rubber tube which made her feel dizzy and caused her ears to throb in pain; pain which she hadn't felt since the years of her constant childhood ear infections. When they finally landed, she was so unstable that she crashed to the ground, cupping her ears in an attempt to soothe the pain. With her eyes closed tightly shut, Leila could feel a hand reach for her arm to help her up. Harry helped her to her feet.

"Leila, Harry, are you okay?" Dumbledore asked.

"Gimme a second," Leila muttered.

"I'm fine," Harry immediately responded. "We just apparated didn't we?"

"Quite successfully too, I might add. Most people vomit the first time," Dumbledore smiled.

"Can't imagine why," Leila muttered.

Leila suddenly reached for her stomach as the vomit lurched up her throat. It projected onto the cobbled pathway in front of her. So much for beating the odds and keeping her dinner. She could hear Harry and Dumbledore chuckling behind her as she groaned. She really could go for a glass of water right now; but she supposed she was just going to have to make do with the taste of vomit in her mouth because Dumbledore began to walk away. Harry yanked on his sister's arm as they both tried to catch up to Dumbledore, to help him out with whatever it was that required their assistance.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hello there! Some of you might be thinking that this sounds an awful lot like "We'll be a Dream" and you would be right to think so because this is a re-write of my story on my new account. Some things might change, but the basic storyline should remain intact. I just felt the need to start over and try to make it better. Also, you will need to bear with me because updates on this will be painfully slow. My main focus is my SPN sisfic "Us Against the World" but Leila and her story will always have a special place in my heart. So…was the rewrite worth it?**

 **So if you're bored and you like Supernatual go read UATW. We just wrapped up season 1.**

 _Leila also has a tumblr I'd you're interestes. :)_


	2. The Story Continues

**Lost Along the Way**

by January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Harry pulled his little sister Leila by the arm so that they could catch up to Professor Dumbledore who was walking at a quick pace down the cobbled street. Leila still wasn't feeling her best after her first time apparating and her mouth still tasted of vomit. Of course Harry had been the one to beat the odds and not vomit—he always managed to do that. Why was it that she had to always be the _normal_ one? Couldn't she be the special one just for once? The Potter twins were nearly out of breath when they finally caught up to the old man and his brisk walking pace. Leila flashed Harry a look which made him stifle a chuckle before speaking to Dumbledore.

"Sir, where are we?" Harry questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Welcome to the charming village of Budleigh Babberton," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Charming? Not quite the adjective I'd use to describe it," Leila muttered.

"It's much more charming in the daylight."

Leila wasn't buying it.

"I'm entitled to my own opinion and I still think the place is rather creepy," Leila mumbled to herself; but she had a suspicion that Dumbledore still heard what she said.

"Sir, what are we doing here?" Harry interrupted, which Leila was thankful for because it took the tension off her.

"Ah, well I've brought you both with me to help me persuade an old colleague of mine to come out of retirement and return to Hogwarts," Dumbledore answered.

"And you need the both of us?"

"That's what he said, Harry," Leila retorted. "You have ears, use them."

"I do," Dumbledore said, clearly ignoring Leila's interjection. "I think I can find a use for the both of you."

As Dumbledore continued at his brisk pace, Harry reached for his sister's arm once more and slowed their pace down. They were only a few steps behind Dumbledore as Harry looked to his sister in confusion.

"What do you think he means that he can find a use for us?" Harry whispered.

"I'm not Dumbledore," Leila retorted.

"Clearly. He isn't so fickle."

"I'm not being fickle."

"Then what would you call it?"

"I—"

"Pip pip," Dumbledore called. "Pick up the pace."

Leila groaned before she started jogging to catch up to the old man. For being so bloody old, that man could walk fast. When Harry and Leila had almost caught up to Dumbledore, the old man took a sharp left turn. Harry easily made the turn; but Leila hadn't been expecting it and she ran straight into a Muggle trash receptacle that crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. Leila winced at the noise before she saw Harry and Dumbledore walking further from her. She then looked back down to the trash receptacle to see its contents spilling out into the street. The right thing to do would be to pick the mess up; but she didn't have time. So, she apologized to the inanimate object before taking off in a sprint toward her travel companions. When Leila finally caught up to Dumbledore and Harry, she was somewhat peeved that they didn't stop and wait for her; but she didn't voice her frustrations. Instead, she walked quietly behind them as they chatted amiably….about her.

She listened to their conversation for the next several blocks as Harry voiced his concerns about Leila's dream. Dumbledore simply listened to Harry and nodded his head occasionally. He clearly didn't seem anywhere as near as concerned as Harry was; so that meant it was probably nothing. Or at least that's what she hoped; but then Harry turned around and insisted that she tell Dumbledore about her dream.

"I already told you that I'm not telling him right now," Leila groaned.

"And I told you that if you didn't, I would," Harry retorted. "In her dream, she saw a Dark Mark."

"Harry!" Leila hissed.

"A Dark Mark, you say?" Dumbledore pondered. "Sometimes our subconscious has a way of telling us what we are most worried about."

"There, dream interpreted: I'm scared of You—Know—Vol-Voldemort. It's not an uncommon fear especially these days." While she was somewhat terrified of the Dark Lord, she did know that her dream wasn't about that.

"Add that to your never-ending list. Clowns, spiders…" Harry listed.

"Ron's scared of spiders too," Leila retorted.

"Water…"

"I'm not scared of _water._ I'm scared of the vastness of big bodies of water where I could easily drown."

"That would still be a fear of… _water_."

"Well, I have every bloody right to be after Piers Polkiss pushed me in the bloody river and I nearly drowned. I have all perfectly rational fears."

"Rational fears."

"Ah, here we are," Dumbledore interrupted softly.

Dumbledore stopped outside an iron gate with a stone wall that surrounded the property. Leila wasn't prepared to stop, so she went crashing right into her brother with a loud "oomph." Dumbledore pushed on the iron gate which swung open easily…too easily. With an unreadable expression on his face, Dumbledore put his wand at the ready and told the Potter twins to do the same. Leila and Harry looked to each other quickly before they drew their wands from the jeans pockets. Dumbledore began to walk slowly, yet purposefully toward the house with Harry and Leila following close behind. They found the front door to already be opened a crack, so the Hogwarts headmaster pushed the door open farther to allow their small group entrance into the house.

Once inside the front hall of the house, they found the place to be completely disheveled and in utter disarray. To say the place was trashed may have been an understatement. Dumbledore motioned for them to stay close behind him as he led them from the front hall and into the sitting room. There were glass shards covering every surface as snow would cover the ground and the beautiful baby grand piano lay in shards and splinters in the corner with its ivory keys strewn on the floor and music in shreds. Leila couldn't understand why one of Professor Dumbledore's colleagues would live in such a sad state. The only reason she could think of was if…a slight shiver went up her spine…the Death Eaters had paid this place a visit. What if they were still inside, waiting for them? Blood dripped from the ceiling which made Leila feel rather uneasy. But Dumbledore took a drop of blood that had landed on his shoulder and wiped it with his finger before putting it into his mouth. Leila slightly cringed at Dumbledore's taste-testing and the uneasiness in her stomach continued to grow.

Leila tightly gripped her hand without her wand onto her brother's arm. Harry looked at her with a puzzled expression. Clearly, he wasn't getting the same impression about the place that she was. As she attempted to steady her breathing as to not give their position away, Dumbledore motioned for them to stay put. The old man then took several steps forward with the light from this wand leading the way. He stopped for a moment and titled his head to the right. Leila did the same thing to try and see what Dumbledore was seeing…and for a moment, she could have sworn she was the slippers in front of the armchair move; but that was a ridiculous thought. But maybe not, because Dumbledore jabbed the tip of his wand into the armchair. Leila's eyes widened as the armchair squealed before beginning to take shape as the chair shot upright into a standing position.

"Merlin's beard!" the shifting armchair shouted. "No need to disfigure me Albus."

The Potter twins backed away instinctively from the shouting armchair because it wasn't an everyday occurrence while Dumbledore remained quite calm and stood his ground. Leila's hand gripped her brother's arm tighter as her wand arm was still aimed right at the armchair. She didn't care if Dumbledore seemed to trust this armchair, she wasn't going to let her guard down until she was given a reason to do so. Dumbledore chuckled as the armchair slowly began to take shape into that of an older man.

"I must say that you make a very convincing armchair, Horace," Professor Dumbledore said lightly.

Dumbledore looked at the still shifting man/armchair with a smile on his face. The older man, who didn't look anywhere near as old as Dumbledore, patted his stomach before looking up at the group in front of him. The old man was rather overstuffed, quite like the armchair, and he was dressed in silk pyjamas which had been perfect for the upholstery of the armchair. Leila relaxed a little, but still kept her wand pointed toward the man as Harry lowered his wand and looked at the man in awe. After a few seconds, she finally lowered her wand noting that if Dumbledore new this man by name and had lowered his own wand, that he trusted this man called Horace. She tried her best to read between the unspoken lines; but her intellect proved to be of no assistance in this situation.

"What gave me away?" the overstuffed man asked.

"Dragon's blood," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Not to mention that if the Death Eaters had come knocking, there would have been a Dark Mark in the sky."

Leila groaned and smacked herself in the forehead for missing that small detail. She should have known better; but if there was another one of her faults, she was quick to let her fears sometimes win out over an intellectual process. The man named Horace explained that he was on the run from the Death Eaters and that his home belonged to some Muggles who were on holiday. Dumbledore suggested that they put the disheveled house back into its proper state of affairs and with a slight flick of the Hogwarts headmaster's wand, the room began to restore itself. The shards of glass from the picture frames floated back to their frames, the pieces of the chandelier zoomed into their rightful places, the piano was stored to proper order…everything was fixed and almost looked brand shiny new again. The Potter twins couldn't help but watch the restoration in amazement. Having lived much of their lives with Muggles, there were still things in the Wizarding world that surprised them. Dumbledore chuckled at the twins before he turned to introduce them to the man in his pyjamas.

"This, is an old friend and colleague of mine, Horace Slughorn," Dumbledore stated. "Horace, I don't think introductions are needed for these two, right?"

"No need! No need! They are the Potter twins of course!" Horace Slughorn said with great enthusiasm.

"This is…" Dumbledore began with his hand motioning toward Harry.

"Harry," Slughorn said jovially. "It's not difficult to distinguish between the two of them. Harry…and Leila."

Leila rolled her eyes at the normal mention of her name being last. Harry and Leila. Harry and Leila. Why couldn't it be Leila and Harry? There always seemed to be a certain order when mentioning twins that was rarely broken: Harry and Leila, Fred and George, Padma and Pavarti. She knew that most people didn't mean anything by it; but always being mentioned second made her feel like she was only second best, which wasn't a hard feeling to be familiar with almost always living in her brother's shadow. Leila's interest was piqued in the old mens' conversation about Delorese Umbridge.

Thinking about that nasty woman made her shiver. The evil toad had made her drink a cup full of tea laced with Veritiserum, trying to get her to disclose information on her brother. The only positive about that situation was that Umbridge asked her questions she couldn't honestly answer because at the time, she didn't have anything to do with Dumbledore's Army because she had been too wrapped-up in her own misery. It was after Christmas before she had actually finally joined the D.A. only to get Harry and Ron from pestering her; but she actually turned out to like the group…well, that was until they were caught by Umbridge. That was the worst of her punishments from Umbridge and she still had the fading scars on her hand to prove it. Leila absently rubbed the scars on the back of her hand. Her scars weren't anywhere near as deep as her brother's were…but that was because Draco Malfoy had saved her sorry arse on several occasions. Probably one of the few decent things that prat had actually done. Dumbledore suddenly moved to leave the room because he needed to use the loo.

"Don't think I don't know why you're here, Albus!" Slughorn shouted after him. "The answer's still no. Absolutely and unequivocally, no."

Leila turned to watch Dumbledore leave the room before she looked back to Slughorn who looked back at her and chuckled slightly. Leila then turned to her brother who turned to her. There seemed to be this awkwardness between the three of them, when Leila saw something that caught her eye. She found a shelf of Wizarding photographs, so she walked over to have a look at them. While she examined the photographs of some very famous witches and wizards, she intently listened as Slughorn attempted to converse with Harry.

"You look very much like your father, you know," Slughorn began awkwardly. "Except for your eyes. You've got…"

"My mother's eyes, yeah I know," Harry said with a bit of annoyance in his tone. It wasn't the first time he been told this.

"And you Miss Leila, I see that you've inherited your mother's good looks: her hair, her eyes," Slughorn directed toward Leila. "She was a very beautiful witch, I'm sure you very well know; and it looks like the sprout doesn't grow far from the patch."

"Apple falls far from the tree," Leila whispered correcting the old man's botched attempt at a Muggle phrase.

"You do look so much like lovely Lily," Slughorn said once more with a sigh. "Now, I know you're not supposed to have favorites of course; but she was one of mine. Your mother. Such a charming young girl and one of the brightest I ever taught…especially given that she was Muggleborn."

"One of my best friends is Muggleborn and she's the best in our year," Harry argued.

"Funny how that sometimes happens, isn't it?"

"Not really," Harry muttered, clearly peeved by this man who was coming off to be quite bigoted.

"You mustn't think I'm prejudiced!" Slughorn pleaded. "After I all, I just got telling you that your mother was one of my all-time favorite students! See here," he continued as he pointed to the shelf that Leila stood beside. "She's on the shelf. Anyone who wants to be anybody wants to be on this shelf."

Slughorn gently pushed Leila aside to make room for Harry. Harry stood on the other side of the man and at that moment, Leila found the picture of her mother even before Slughorn pointed her out to Harry. Her mother appeared to be about the same age as her in the picture. The likeness to her mother was uncanny. But it panged at her heart because it hurt that she could look so much like someone and yet know so very little about her. She choked back the tears that threatened to spill. She was at the age in her life where despite the teenage hormones, she could really use a mother. Someone to go to in confidence and for advice; but she would never have that. She inhaled deeply to settle her nerves as Slughorn began to point out the other famous faces he appeared to be quite proud of. The man spoke quite animatedly about his former pupils and at that moment, Leila wondered if that was why Dumbledore brought them. Without really doing much, Harry and Leila were names known around the Wizarding community. Harry for being "The Boy Who Lived" and Leila for being "The Boy Who Lived's sister" and the man appeared to have a certain weakness for those with a name in the Wizarding world. But Leila's thought process was interrupted by the old man.

"Horace, do you mind if I take this?" Dumbledore asked holding up a magazine which made Slughorn look to him in confusion. "I do love knitting patterns, you see."

"Ah yes, of course. But you're not leaving are you?" Slughorn asked with more confusion evident in his tone of voice.

"I think I know a lost cause when I see one," Dumbledore sighed. "Regrettable. I would have considered it a personal triumph had you considered to return to Hogwarts. Oh, well."

Leila looked to Dumbledore. Maybe she had been wrong about him using them to manipulate Slughorn. He just wanted the man to return to Hogwarts to teach; but the man didn't look like much a Defence teacher. But it probably didn't matter much anyway, he would only be there for a year anyways with the jinx on the position. Dumbledore motioned for Harry and Leila to walk toward him, which both twins obeyed. The Hogwarts headmaster then bid his friend goodbye, but Slughorn appeared to be looking rather unsettled about something or another. Only, they didn't sit around to find out what was bothering him. No, the Potter twins followed Dumbledore out of the house and down the cobbled walkway. No one said anything as they walked. They were almost to the end of the lane when Slughorn burst out of the house running and yelling after them.

"All right! All right! I'll do it!" Slughorn shouted as Leila, Harry, and Dumbledore turned to look at him panting for breath on the front stoop. "But I want a raise, you hear! These are mad times we live in! Mad! And I want Professor Merrythought's old office, not that water closet I was in last time."

"Very well, Horace. We shall see you on the first of September," Dumbledore said with a smile.

The newly reinstated Professor Slughorn leaned against the railing, still panting for breath as he waved at them. He watched Harry, Leila, and Dumbledore walk away from the house he was staying at and go down the street. Leila yawned as the group approached a small church before Dumbledore commanded that the twins take his arms again. Leila quickly rubbed at her ears in preparation for the pain before she reluctantly took hold of Dumbledore's arm to side-along apparate. Leila took a breath and closed her eyes tightly as she could feel that familiar sense of being pulled through a rubber tube again. As far as apparating went, she wasn't really a fan, except it allowed one to get from place to place faster.

When Leila finally opened her eyes, she found that they were standing in a field on the outskirts of the Burrow. While she felt incredibly dizzy; at least this time she didn't vomit. They were probably just on the other side of the Burrow's safety enchantments and they were probably specially in place for her and Harry's arrival. Just to make sure, Leila picked up the nearest stone and threw it toward the Burrow; and not too much to her surprise, the stone bounced back toward her. Dumbledore chuckled before he waved his wand to allow Harry and Leila entrance to the Burrow's property. The small group walked quietly toward the dilapidated looking house; but Leila knew that appearances could be deceiving. While on the outside, the place looked like it could use some care; the inside felt like a home. As they walked past the Weasleys' tool shed, Dumbledore stopped.

"If you don't mind, Harry; I'd like a few words with you before we part…" Dumbledore began.

"And I can see where I'm not needed," Leila said. "I'll just go inside and let Mrs. Weasley know that we're here."

Leila skirted past her brother and Dumbledore before she slowly walked down the beaten path to the backdoor of the Burrow. She saw that there was a light on in the kitchen as she approached the house. Leila stepped up the stairs to the Burrow before she firmly rapped the door. She stood waiting for someone to answer with her arms folded across her chest when she saw the kitchen window's curtain move and Mrs. Weasley peering from behind. Leila could hear Mrs. Weasley stepping across the hardwood floor to the door before she began to talk to her through the back door, which was without a doubt, a safety precaution that had been listed in the brochure the Ministry had distributed.

"Who's there? Declare yourself!" Mrs. Weasley said nervously from behind the door.

"It's me, Mrs. Weasley, Leila Mae Potter," Leila answered.

"Are you alone?"

"Dumbledore is talking with Harry by the tool shed. Can you please let me in?"

Mrs. Weasley somewhat hesitantly opened the door; but her worried expression immediately turned into a smile when she saw Leila standing there. The older woman enveloped Leila in a hug, which Leila willingly returned. With all the emotions that went with not having her mother, it was nice to know that Mrs. Weasley was like her unofficial adopted mother. Mrs. Weasley had welcomed her and Harry with open arms into their home as if they were honorary members of the family. Leila blushed as Mrs. Weasley released her from the hug. She normally didn't receive much affection or loving treatment and had been especially void of it for her stay at the Dursleys. Leila could only hope that someday she would have such a loving and large family of her own one day; one where she would be surrounded by a Quidditch team's worth of children and a loving husband.

"It's so good to see you, Leila," Mrs. Weasley said with a genuine smile. "I wasn't quite sure if you were really you or not because Dumbledore said not to expect you three before morning. Now, let's get you something to eat. I swear you look skinnier every time I see you and you could use some meat on your bones You're far too skinny for my liking."

The older woman then ushered Leila inside and Roman, Leila's cat darted right for her. Leila bent down with a smile and picked up her black cat with bright green eyes before she pressed a kiss against his tiny nose.

"I hope you don't mind that I let him out of his cage right before you got here," Mrs. Weasley said.

Leila chuckled as she walked toward Mrs. Weasley holding Roman tightly in her arms. Mrs. Weasley ladled her a bowl of soup which she set down on the long Weasley table. After setting Roman back down on the ground, Leila took a seat in front of the bowl as her stomach rumbled. She was probably a little hungrier than she expected to be, especially after apparating. At the table, Tonks was seated and she looked sort of depressed so Leila took a seat next to her at the Weasley's large table.

"Wotcher, Leila," Tonks said.

"Hey, Tonks," Leila smiled.

"How've the muggles been treating you?'

"Same as usual. They ignore me, so I try to ignore them back. Is there anything interesting happening in your life?"

Tonks avoided the question as Mrs. Weasley came back with a giant bowl of onion soup. Leila's stomach slightly growled at the sight and aroma of the soup. She already knew it would taste as good as it looked and smelled.

"Would you like some bread, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Um…" Leila said.

"Of course you would."

Leila immediately began to shovel the soup into her mouth as Mrs. Weasley placed several slices of bread in front of her. There was then a rap at the back door and Mrs Weasley walked over to the window to check who was there. Leila, knew it was Dumbledore and Harry; but one could never be too careful.

"Who's there? Declare yourself," Mrs. Weasley said.

Leila wasn't close enough to the door to hear the response; but she did notice that Mrs. Weasley opened the door. Harry and Dumbledore walked through the open door and Mrs. Weasley scolded Dumbledore for allowing Leila to come in by herself without protection. Leila smiled slightly knowing how lucky she was to have a person like Mrs. Weasley on her side. Dumbledore gently apologized to Mrs. Weasley before he turned to the twins to bid his goodbye. Dumbledore glanced at Tonks as she walked past him but he didn't say anything to her. Leila watched out the window as Tonks left. She looked rather depressed and when she was no more than a few feet out the door, she disapparated. Tonks had always been such a cheerful, fun-loving, carefree person and it was painful to see her like this. Leila didn't recognize this Tonks and she couldn't help but wonder if Sirius' death had taken this much of a toll on her. She didn't expect Harry to be the only one grieving Sirius' death. Leila didn't miss the peculiar glance between Dumbledore and Harry; but she would talk to her brother about that later privately. Harry took a seat beside Leila as he reached down to pet Roman who was pawing at his feet. Mrs. Weasley set another bowl of soup in front of Harry before returning to her dishes.

"What was that about?" Leila asked.

"What was what about?" Harry asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. What did Dumbledore want?"

"Nothing," Harry said with a shrug as he took a bite of his soup.

"Nothing, my arse."

"Fine, it's nothing for you to get your wand in a knot over," Harry responded. "It's just something between me and Dumbledore."

"Aren't you going to tell me? I am your sister after all. Your only sister too."

Harry didn't respond. Instead, he just took another bite of his soup. Leila narrowed her eyes at her brother before she returned to her soup. Had Dumbledore told him not to tell her? Normally, they shared almost everything with each other…they were twins after all. It wasn't like Harry to keep a secret from her; but she would just have to press him for details later. She tried to stay positive about this…maybe he just didn't want Mrs. Weasley to overhear them.

"Is Mr. Weasley at work?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he is, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "As a matter of fact, he's running a bit late. He said he'd be back around midnight."

Both the twins looked to Mrs. Weasley who looked rather pensive compared to her normal cheerful disposition. Suddenly, Roman bolted from the kitchen and upstairs. Leila took a few more bites when she heard a shout of "bloody hell" before she heard a hissing sound. She smirked knowing full-well where Roman was. There was the sound of thudding footsteps as Ron ran from his room to the stairwell.

"Mum!" Ron Weasley called. "Are Harry and Leila here?"

"Who?" Ginny called back.

"Mind your own business, Ginny," Ron shouted down the stairwell.

"What is this about Harry?" Hermione joined in.

"Me too, Granger," Leila muttered.

"Mum!" Ron shouted.

"Ronald, don't shout at this hour!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the kitchen.

"I'm just trying to figure out whose bloody cat viciously attacked me," Ron yelled.

"You probably deserved it," Ginny added.

"Shut up, Ginny," Ron hissed.

"What the hell did you do to my cat, Ron?" Leila shouted.

"Leila!" Ron and Ginny shouted simultaneously.

There was soon a thundering of footsteps from upstairs headed straight toward them. Leila and Harry stood up from the table to meet their friends. Ginny was the first one down the stairs and she immediately ran to give Harry a hug. Leila stood there awkwardly until Ginny moved to hug her. She knew that Ginny had fancied her brother for the longest time which made having a friendship with the girl awkward at times. Hermione was soon down the stairs with a smile on her face and a toothbrush in hand the girl hugged Harry and then moved toward Leila; but stopped short. The two girls were not friends. Leila didn't care about Hermione being a muggleborn, but rather just found her plain annoying. She hadn't liked Hermione from her first train ride. Leila felt that Hermione had always thought that she was better than her. The boys used to side with her, until that troll on Halloween. The boys' opinions of Hermione Granger changed that night; but Leila and Hermione still couldn't put their differences aside. Some said it was because they were so similar, others said it was because of some rivalry over Harry. Whatever the reason was, the girls had never become friends. They attempted to tolerate each other for Harry's sake; but normally it didn't last long. Leila was thankful when Ron finally made his way down the stairs. He hugged Harry and then moved on to Leila.

"Your bloody cat tried to kill me," Ron said after he released Leila from her hug.

"Good kitty," Leila smirked.

A knock on the door interrupted their greetings. Mrs. Weasley hurried to the door and immediately opened the door. Mr. Weasley stopped short and gently chided Mrs. Weasley for allowing him entrance without making him answer a security question first. Ron rolled his eyes at the scene near the backdoor.

"What's the point?" Ron groaned. "If a Death Eater is trying to impersonate me, they probably already know enough about me to do so."

"Your father has an image to upkeep at the Ministry," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Well, the Death Eaters get the same bloody pamphlets from the Ministry," Ron argued.

"One can never be too informed," Hermione said.

"I beg to differ on that one, Hermione. If I never have to hear about who my sister is snogging, it will be all too soon," Harry argued.

"It's not my fault that _someone_ ," Leila said looking directly at Ron. "Can't keep his big fat mouth shut."

"It was a common courtesy. If Harry saw Ginny snogging some Slytherin, I'd expect him to do the same for me," Ron argued.

"Who I snog is none of your business, Ron," Ginny retorted.

"Exactly my point!" Leila remarked.

"But he was a Slytherin!" Ron argued.

"I happen to be in Slytherin in case you've forgotten," Leila said rolling her eyes.

"Doesn't mean you should be snogging them," Harry argued.

"There was a reason for the madness," Leila said folding her arms across her chest. "Not that you listened the first time I told you; but the only reason I was snogging Theo was to get Malfoy to leave me alone."

"That doesn't even make any sense," Hermione muttered.

"I never asked you if it did," Leila snipped.

"Harry! Leila! I didn't expect to see you two until the morning!" Mr. Weasley said interrupting their conversation.

Mr. Weasley walked over to the group of teenagers to shake hands with Harry. He gave Leila a side hug as Mrs. Weasley walked over to the group with her hands on her hips. She insisted that the teenagers go upstairs and straight to bed. Ron voiced a complaint; but Mrs. Weasley pushed him in the direction of the stairs. Rather reluctantly, the teenagers headed upstairs and headed to their respective rooms as Mrs. Weasley took Harry and Leila to the twins' old bedroom. Fred and George now lived in Diagon Alley above their joke shop. Leila had yet to see the joke shop; but she hoped that she would be able to see it soon.

Mrs. Weasley opened the door to the bedroom and motioned for Harry and Leila to go inside. Leila walked in first, followed by Harry. Mr. Weasley came up the stairs with their trunks. He set them in the corner as Ron came in carrying Roman. He set her "bloody" cat on one of the beds before Mrs. Weasley pushed him out of the room. Mr. Weasley then moved to stand by his wife as they said goodnight to the Potter twins.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Mrs. Weasley said.

Harry and Leila nodded their heads as the matriarch Weasleys hugged and kissed them goodnight. As Mrs. Weasley hugged Leila, she whispered about how much Leila looked like her mother. Leila held onto Mrs. Weasley's hug a little longer than normal. While she could never take the place of her own mother; Mrs. Weasley was definitely a close second. When Mrs. Weasley released Leila from her hug, she patted the younger girl on the cheek before she left the room with her husband.

"Which bed do you want?" Harry asked his sister.

"Whichever one wasn't Fred's," Leila chuckled.

"Do you know something that I don't?"

"No, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley changed the sheets, but one can never been too cautious."

Harry and Leila looked to each other. Both of them knew that Fred has slept in the bed on the right. Suddenly, both of the Potter twins ran for the bed that had belonged to George. Leila launched herself from the floor and onto the bed, beating Harry. Harry groaned and started to tickle his sister to get her to flail off the bed; but she held tightly onto the headboard.

"I got here first," Leila said between breaths.

Harry shook his head and gave up as he quickly changed into his pyjamas and crawled into Fred's old bed before Leila attempted to crawl out of bed to change into her own pyjamas. Harry threatened her that if he found anything in Fred's bed that she was going to be in trouble. Leila smiled as she finally curled up into the bed she had fought Harry for. She looked to Harry before she blew out the candle. They Potter twins lay in the darkness for a few minutes before Leila interrupted it.

"Harry, are you going to tell me about what Dumbledore said?" Leila asked.

"Not this time," Harry sighed.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I just can't this time. Please don't ask again. If Dumbledore wanted you to know, he would have told you."

"So, you're going to do to me what he did to you last year?"

"Leila, it's not like that, I promise."

Leila rolled onto her side, so that her back was to her brother. Why wouldn't Dumbledore include her? Did he know that she had a hard time blindly trusting him? But why keep her on the outs of something with her brother? Was he trying to tear them apart? Leila was beyond frustrated but it must not have affected Harry too terribly because his snores began to fill the room; while she remained awake mulling over her she finally did get to sleep; she didn't have any dreams like the one last night. No, instead of some sort of nightmare, she was in a pleasant dreamland. In her dream she and Harry were happy with their parents and plenty of other siblings. It was the life she had always wanted, a life that was only available to her in her dreams. A life she would never get.

 **Author's Note: Aaaannnd here's the second chapter reedited.**

 **Monthibr:** Well, it technically never left. It's just improved. :) I hope…

 **Nixdragon:** Yes Roman! I hope the rewrite isn't boring you too much! lol

 **Ginnypoterr:** I would never forget you! (And I said such in my pm to you) I hope you can see my growth as writer! Lol Hope your exams went well.


	3. At the Burrow

**Lost Along the Way**

by January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 3: At the Burrow**

A pale hand with a Slytherin ring brushed across a dark wooden door. The hand seemed to caress the wood carefully and purposefully. Fingernails began to scratch at the intricate metallic engravings before the fingers firmly grasped a knob. After a twist, the door opened to reveal more darkness. Distorted whispers of "Montague" and "the only way" droned eerily in the air. Suddenly, a crimson pair of lips pressed against a pale cheek before a brief flash of icy blue. Then everything went black.

The emerald green eyes of Leila Potter flashed wide open as she woke up breathing heavily. That was the second bloody vivid dream she had this summer and that worried her. The scene in this dream had changed since her last one. Granted, it seemed like that last dream had been on repeat and now this one. That icy blue…she had seen it before, it was so familiar to her and yet right now her mind was drawing blanks. She wished that she could understand more of her dream; but the thing had been in close-ups and she couldn't recognize anything except for the whispers of Montague, which meant absolutely nothing to her except for the fact that he was in Slytherin with her.

Leila looked across the room to Harry, who was sleeping peacefully. She breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't wakened him up this time. There was no doubt in her mind that if she had, he would make her go to Dumbledore; something that she didn't want to do. While it was true that she wasn't as blindly trusting of Dumbledore as Harry, she also didn't want to trouble the man over something that she didn't even understand herself. Besides, even if she had wanted to tell Dumbledore, she couldn't even accurately describe anything in this dream. At least in her last dream, she could easily make out a Dark Mark. This one, the only thing plainly visible was the Slytherin ring, which meant little to nothing because there were plenty of witches and wizards with a ring like that.

Trying to shake her dream from her thoughts, Leila stood up and walked to the window in the room. The only light coming from outside came from cracks of lightning that bolted across the gloomy sky. There was a roll of thunder as Leila pressed her warm cheek against the cool glass and exhaled so that a thin layer of fog started to blanket the window. Besides Hogwarts, this was the place that felt most like home to her. Never had number four Privet Drive seemed like home—here, she felt like she belonged, even if she was sorely outmatched by Gryffindors. A yawn escaped Leila's lips and she sat back down on her bed before she reached for a book from her satchel. She read not even a page before he eyelids began to sag and she was soon fast asleep once more.

The next morning, Leila was awoken by irritating babbling coming, more specifically; the annoying tone of Granger's incessant babbling. Leila groaned for Granger to shut it as she pulled her pillow over her ears in attempts to drown out the sound. Granger retorted that Leila woke up on the wrong side of the bed—an old Muggle saying and Leila responded by muttering something under her pillow. Leila and Hermione Granger weren't exactly what you'd call friends—they were the opposite oddly enough, leaving poor Harry and Ron stuck in the middle of their never-ending feud. It wasn't the fact that Granger was muggleborn that irked Leila. It was the fact that the girl was downright rude and annoying from their very first meeting—not to mention that Granger had almost come between Leila and Harry First Year. Leila often felt that Granger would boast about being better than her, which wasn't necessarily true. She could easily rival her intelligence. But at least not liking Hermione Granger was something Leila had in common with her fellow Slytherin housemates. In the beginning, Harry and Ron used to side with her—that was, until that troll showed up in the Dungeon on Halloween. The boys' opinions of Hermione Granger had altered that night and yet Hermione and Leila still couldn't put their differences aside. Some said it was because they were so similar, others said it was because of some rivalry over Harry. Whatever the reason was, the girls had never become friends. They _sometimes_ attempted to get along if Harry was around, but if he wasn't there that was a completely different story. Ron poked at Leila's face, but she swatted at his hand.

"Leave me alone," Leila groaned.

"Come off it. Mum's bringing you two breakfast. I wish I had the luxury of breakfast in bed; but no, she hasn't even made mine yet…" Ron trailed off before Leila popped up out of bed gasping the word breakfast. "Is that all you got out of that?"

"Was there something more I was supposed to hear beside you whining?"

Leila raised an eyebrow at Ron who grew red for a moment before he shook his head with a faint smile on his face. He then pushed her legs over and sat down beside her on the bed. She couldn't help but remember a time when she and Ron weren't friends. That seemed like such a long time ago…first year to be exact. Things had started out all ride on the train ride to Hogwarts, but once Leila had been sorted in Slytherin, Ron avoided her like the plague. He didn't trust anything she did that year and he certainly didn't like including her in things that involved her brother. It wasn't until the end of the school year after they had faced Voldemort that Ron actually started trusting her and they became fast friends.

 _~*~Flashback~*~_

 _Leila was quite groggy when she finally awoke after being in that chamber with Harry and Voldemort.. She slightly opened her eyes to see Harry asleep in the bed beside her as the daylight streamed into the hospital wing. Wait, how had she gotten to the hospital wing? The last thing she remembered was…well, she certainly wasn't here last time she was conscious. No, she had been in some sort of chamber facing off against Voldemort with her brother. The hospital wing was far more preferable. Leila heard the door to the hospital wing open; but she wasn't really up for seeing anyone yet, so she shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. But what surprised her was that the footsteps stopped on the right side of her bed and Harry was on the left side of her. Whoever was here was there to see her…or at least to rifle through the pile of candy she had noticed on the table beside her. The sound of someone rifling through her gifts annoyed her. Who would do such a thing? Leila opened one eye to see Ron Weasley looking through her sweets._

" _What do you think you're doing?" Leila demanded, glaring at him._

" _Bloody hell, you scared the living daylights outta me," Ron almost screamed as he dropped the sweets he had been holding and slowly backed up with his hand on his chest._

" _Serves you right. Trying to steal my sweets." By this point Leila had narrowed her eyes toward the ginger haired boy as he appeared to be somewhat flustered._

" _I didn't think you'd mind. I mean you do have so many of them." Ron put the package of Droobles he had in his other hand back on the table as Leila sighed and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position._

" _Oh go on," Leila stated as she rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Help yourself."_

 _Ron looked at her hesitantly and didn't make a move for the pile. Really? Did she have to do everything herself. Leila dug through the pile of candy to notice that there was a large package of Chocolate Frogs from Malfoy. She wasn't interested in anything that prat would give her. In fact, if she never ate a Chocolate Frog again it would be all too soon. Besides, she knew that Ron liked to collect the cards. She remembered that much about him from the train ride to Hogwarts. Leila tossed Ron the whole box of Chocolate Frogs; which he caught with a surprised look on his face. Ron opened the box and took out one of the tinier packages before he ripped the Chocolate Frog from its packaging. He then proceeded to shove the whole thing in his mouth which made Leila laugh when she could tell the thing was trying to escape his mouth. He took one big bite and apparently that was the end of the escape; but Leila couldn't help but continue to giggle._

" _What?" Ron said with his mouth full, nearly spewing chocolate all over Leila. Disgusting._

" _Nothing," Leila said shaking her head._

" _If you say so." Ron shrugged his shoulder and continued to smack on his chocolate which made Leila shake her head. He really didn't seem so bad._

" _How long have we been out?"_

" _Two days now." He said is so matter-of-factly, like it wasn't a big deal. Then again, those who went head to head with Voldemort usually never woke up. In comparison, two days wasn't long at all. Leila exhaled, causing a tendril of her hair to go flying straight into the air. She made herself more comfortable on her pillows and looked up to Ron who was looking at her with an odd expression._

" _Yes, Weasley?"_

" _I—erm—I—uh—I just wanted to say that I—erm don't think you're evil."_

" _Good to know. Took you long enough to figure it out. What gave me away?"_

" _Well—most Slytherins wouldn't have done what you did down there."_

" _What exactly are you referring to?"_

" _You know…go after You-Know-Who." Ron looked at her with an apologetic expression on his face. There was something about it, that she could tell he was being honest with her. For the first time since she was sorted into Slytherin he wasn't looking at her if she were some sort of walking plague. She felt like he was looking at her like an actual human being. But it was also at that moment; Leila knew she needed to tell someone to ease the guilt._

" _Can I tell you something?" Leila whispered to which Ron responded with a nod of his head. "I almost didn't."_

" _Didn't what?"_

" _I thought about running away and leaving it up to you three."_

" _But you did end up down there. Besides, I think Harry was the only one somewhat sure about the situation."_

" _Why are you being so nice to me?"_

" _I told you already," Ron groaned as he rolled his eyes as if the answer were obvious.. "I don't think you're evil."_

" _I suppose this is the point where we're supposed to become friends?"_

" _Probably."_

" _But I don't think either of us is ready for that yet."_

" _Glad we agree."_

" _How about we just agree to not hate each other? And go from there."_

" _Deal." Leila extended her hand to Ron which he shook. Although, neither of them had really expected their friendship to form…that was the moment it did. But the two quickly released hands when the door to the hospital wing swung open once more to reveal a group of Slytherins heading toward them. Leila chuckled as Ron's eyes grew wide and a blush crept into his cheeks before he walked out of the hospital wing, without even visiting Harry._

 _~*~End Flashback~*~_

Leila sat on her bed with a goofy expression on her face until Ron snapped his fingers in front of her face. Same old Ron. She was glad to be friends with him. He entertained her…not to mention the fact that being friends with him irritated Malfoy. Suddenly, Ginny was standing in the doorway looking in on the group. Leila threw back the covers and went to greet her friend with a hug. Ginny chuckled as Leila quickly hugged her. Those two had become friends as well the summer before second year. Although, Ginny fancied Harry at the time, which somewhat annoyed Leila, she had gotten to know Ginny beyond the Harry-obsessing and they were cut from the same cloth. Leila pulled Ginny over to her bed before pushing Ron off to make room for Ginny. Ron hadn't been expecting it, so he fell to the floor in quite an embarrassing position. Leila smirked at him but Granger immediately went to his rescue, helping him off the floor. She ignored the annoying girl and focused her attention on Ginny.

"Thank Merlin you're here. I don't know that my sanity would have survived a summer with Granger," Leila stated.

"I'm right here you know," Hermione retorted, but Leila ignored her.

"I wouldn't count on a summer of keeping your sanity," Ginny said with a frown, but before Leila could ask why the ginger-haired girl continued, "It's _her_. She's driving me mad. She's driving us all mad."

But before Leila could ask again, this time Granger started talking again, "What's she done now?"

"It's just the way she talks to me…you'd think I was about three, not going into my fifth year at Hogwarts. I'm not an insufferable prat…unlike her."

"Sure, ignore me for Granger," Leila groaned, but they certainly did seem to be ignoring Leila because Granger then continued.

"I know it, Ginny. She's full of herself," Hermione huffed.

"Granger, did you actually insult someone?" At this, Ron flung Harry's pillow at Leila which smacked her in the face. Leila was knocked backwards momentarily before she groaned and tossed the pillow at Harry while he was rubbing the back of his head, so he was also unprepared for the attack. But Leila turned toward Ron, "What was that for?"

"Quit having a go at Hermione," Ron stated in her direction before turning and pointing toward Ginny and Granger. "And you two…can't you lay off her for five seconds?"

"Oh, that's right, defend her. We all know you can't get enough of her," Ginny snapped.

Leila looked over to Harry in confusion who shrugged his shoulders. Leila was just about to ask what the hell was going on when the bedroom door opened once again. Who else could possibly be joining them? But Leila was relieved to see that it was Mrs. Weasley entering the room carrying a tray with breakfast on it; but following right behind her was Fleur Delacour with another tray in her arms. Leila did a double-take before looking to Ginny who rolled her eyes as Mrs. Weasley set her tray down in front of Harry. Fleur set Leila's tray down on the bedside table before opening her arms for a hug. Leila got the hint and stood up and quickly hugged Fleur, somewhat unsure of why Fleur would want to be hugging her. Leila and Fleur had never become friends. They had just competed against each other in the Triwizard Tournament, that was all. If memory served Leila correct, that was the last time she had seen Fleur; but she heard that the petite blonde had taken a job at Gringotts to improve her English skills and that Bill Weasley was the one tutoring her. But why Fleur was here at the Burrow of all places? Leila had no idea. Fleur patted Leila on the cheek before the Potter girl sat down on her bed and scooted a little closer to Ginny to whisper lowly.

"What's she doing here?" Leila asked.

"Annoying us, clearly," Ginny retorted in a whisper.

"Well, I get _that_ much. What's she _really_ doing here?"

"Later." Ginny had caught her mother's eye. Leila was about to push the subject with Ginny when she overheard Harry's conversation with Fleur. The blonde haired woman was gushing with emotion as she announced that she and Bill were going to be married. Leila's eyes widened for a moment at the thought of Bill Weasley getting married before she looked over to Ginny who's expression was quite grim.

"Since when?"

"Later." Leila huffed a bit at Ginny's response. It was obvious that something had happened, but Leila wasn't in the know about these things. Why hadn't they written her about it? Leila ignored Fleur's incessant babbling about Bill by playing with Roman instead. Roman pawed at her hand, which made Leila smile for a moment; but thankfully, Fleur soon left the room. Harry and Leila looked around to each of the Weasleys to explain something, but it was Ginny who responded first, "Mum hates her."

"I don't hate her," Mrs. Weasley said defensively. "I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that is all."

"They've known each other for a year," Ron pointed out to which Mrs. Weasley let out a small huff.

"Sometimes love just happens and there's nothing you can do about it," Leila added.

"And how would you know that?"

"Television." Ron gave Leila a quizzical look. "What? You don't understand how many times I've had to endure the pain and torture that are Aunt Petunia's soap operas."

Mrs. Weasley then went on to explain herself as to why she thought that they were rushing through things. She just hadn't expected things to progress this quickly under the dire circumstances. It reminded her too much of the last time Voldemort rose to power. Apparently people were eloping _left, right, and center_ and Mrs. Weasley didn't like it then.

"Like you and Dad?" Ginny said slyly to which Mrs. Weasley was about to respond, but Leila cut in.

"Or like my parents?" Leila added before Harry coughed. " _Our_ parents."

"Yes, well, Ginny dear, your father and I were made for each other so what was the point of waiting? And James and Lily as well, made for each other. Whereas Bill and Fleur? Well…what have they really got in common? Bill's so hard working and down-to-earth and she's…"

"A cow?" Ginny stated.

"Ginny."

"What? We were all thinking it." The teenagers all started laughing as Mrs. Weasley started to scold Ginny who escaped the bedroom. Leila quickly snatched a piece of toast and followed after her friend who had run to her bedroom. She walked inside to find Ginny sitting on her bed staring up at the Holyhead Harpies poster. Leila couldn't help but smile. She had spent a lot of time in this room when there had been more Weasleys living at the Burrow. Before her second year, she shared this room with Ginny…and the summer before fourth year. Ginny was practically family by all means. Leila leaned against the doorframe as Ginny looked over at her.

"You really hate her, don't you?" Leila asked.

"Can we not talk about Phlegm?" Ginny retorted.

"Phlegm? I can see it." This made Ginny smile as she sat up and reached for a Quaffle sitting on her bedside table. She tossed it to Leila who easily caught it. A few years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. "You wanna go play?"

"Anything to get away from _Phlegm_."

"Give me a few minutes to change and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Outside. Meet me outside. This way I won't have to be near _her_."

Leila shook her head with a slight smile on her face before heading back to the room she was sharing with her brother. She quickly dug through her trunk for the clothes she wanted to wear: a pair of jeans and her Slytherin Quidditch T-shirt before hurdling toward the bathroom to get inside before anyone else had the chance. After changing rather quickly, Leila pulled her hair back into a French braid before tossing her clothes back in her room, on the floor, before she headed downstairs to meet Ginny. Outside, Leila found Ginny waiting for her on the stairs. Leila patted Ginny's head before the two girls headed for the broom shed. Inside were the Weasleys old brooms along with two Firebolts, one for Harry and one for Leila, and Leila's _old_ Nimbus 2001. Leila looked back at her old Nimbus 2001 and couldn't help but remember her first try-out for the Slytherin Quidditch team.

 _~*~Flashback~*~_

 _Leila nervously exhaled as Flint began calling them to gather around. She stood beside Theo, but she couldn't help but notice a certain smirking blonde-headed boy standing too close for comfort. So, she moved to the other side of Theo, to use him as a barrier in case Malfoy decided to move closer to her. Flint hardly even welcomed them before he began barking orders. He was going to start with the Chaser trials first. They were each going to get ten attempts at a goal with Keeper guarding it. Then the top three, of Flint's choosing would get a trial with the other two Chasers: Flint and Pucey, going against those trying out for Keeper, despite the fact that Bletchley was almost guaranteed the spot. Leila stopped listening after that because Beater, Seeker, and Keeper trials didn't concern her. The only thing she was concerned about was making Flint's top three choices. She needed to get that far and then hope that Warrington somehow fell off his broom or something. She mentally kicked herself for not asking the Weasley twins to come down and hex Warrington during his trial. Too bad that Chasers were up first otherwise she was pretty sure she would have had time to go get them; but alas, it wasn't going to happen because Flint ordered those trying out for the Chaser position to form a line. Leila moved to get in the line when her path was blocked by Malfoy, the slick git. She moved to the right to around him, but he stepped to block her path again. So, she moved to go to the left, but he must have predicted her move because he stepped with her. They played this game for several more steps before Leila pushed Malfoy in the chest._

" _What do you want?" Leila hissed._

" _Just wanted to wish you good luck," Malfoy responded._

" _Oh…That's all?"_

" _And if you don't make the team, you can still come to watch me."_

" _For a second there, I almost thought you weren't a complete prat. I was seriously mistaken."_

 _Leila pushed past Malfoy with Harry's Nimbus 2000 in hand. Thankfully, Theo was saving her a spot in line. The only problem with his spot was that it was right in front of Cassius Warrington. Leila made sure to take the spot in front of Theo. Nothing against him, but she didn't want to be next to her biggest competition. Besides, Theo didn't really expect to make the team this year, whereas she had her heart set on it. Only, she didn't tell Theo was she was using him as a buffer. It was probably better that she didn't. Leila nervously twirled her ponytail as Flint had Pucey go first to show them all how it was done. Miles Bletchley was playing the Keeper position for them. He was a third year and had made the Slytherin team last year for the first time. Leila didn't find his skills as Keeper too impressive last year, but perhaps after a summer he had improved. Not that she was saying he was a terrible Keeper or anything, but even she had to admit that Slytherin didn't have an equivalent to Oliver Wood, who only in his fifth year and was already having rumours of being called up to a professional team swirling round him. Much to Leila's surprise, Pucey only made eight of his ten attempts. She glanced over to Flint when he was done and Flint wasn't too impressed, he actually looked somewhat angry and Pucey looked over to Flint somewhat worriedly. Was his position in jeopardy? So perhaps there was a chance for two more Chasers to be added? Leila hoped so. She just hoped that she tied Pucey so that Flint would see she was just as good as he was._

 _There were about two dozen people in line before Leila. None of them had managed to impress Flint, as least not from Leila's judgments of his facial expressions. Behind Pucey, the next highest number of attempts made was six, a little over half. Which in reality was quite pathetic. She could do better, she just knew it. She didn't even have to use Malfoy's move to beat that. There had been plenty of times when she had played against Fred and George where she had made that many. Suddenly, Leila felt herself being pushed forward by Theo. She looked back to him as he nodded his head toward Flint. Apparently, Flint had called her name to start her trial. Leila muttered her apologies, but Flint didn't really seem to care. She somewhat nervously walked toward Flint, whose resting face seemed to resemble a scowl. Leila attempted a smile in his direction when she heard Daphne cheer for her from the stands, which caused her to blush. Flint cocked an eyebrow before he tossed the Quaffle to Leila._

" _Your brother's broom?" Flint asked._

" _No, I transfigured a Nimbus 2000 for myself over the summer," Leila said sarcastically. "A bit of light studying."_

" _Are you serious?"_

" _No, not really. It's Harry's."_

" _Just get going. You have ten tries, no more, no less."_

" _Got it."_

 _Leila took one last look back to Theo who offered her an assuring glance before she mounted her broom. As she took to the air, the knot in her stomach seemed to twist. Luckily, she hadn't eaten anything otherwise the sight of her hurling wouldn't have been very appealing. Leila took a deep breath before she raced toward the goal with the Quaffle in her hand. She faked as if she were going toward the left goal post when she threw the Quaffle toward the right goal. Leila watched as the Quaffle soared right over the top of the hoop before she groaned. She had missed and was zero for one at the moment. She looked down at Flint who wasn't even glancing in her direction. Had he seen her miss? Had he even been watching her or was he just expecting her to be terrible? Air. She needed air, which was ironic seeing as she was hovering in the air on a bloody broomstick. Bletchley tossed the Quaffle back to her. She decided that this time, she was going to give herself some "air" before she raced toward the goals. It must have worked because despite Bletchley's look of annoyance, the Quaffle soared right through the middle goal post. Leila grinned as she could hear Daphne cheering from the stands. For not liking Quidditch, Daphne was sure paying attention. Although, Leila suspected that Daphne only knew that the Quaffle going through the goal was a good thing and beyond that, she knew her friend didn't have a clue. Leila made her next three attempts before another miss. She was four hits and two misses, although one of her hits she thought for sure Bletchley would save, but at the last minute he seemed to jerk the opposite direction of the Quaffle. Either way, she had made it this far. She just needed two more in order to tie the next highest score and she had four attempts left. She then made the next two throws before missing the third. Either way, she was now tied for the next highest score behind Pucey. This final throw really didn't matter, but she probably should make it to guarantee a spot in the final three to fly. For a moment, she debated using the move Malfoy taught her, but decided against it when the thought of him setting her up for failure crossed her mind. Instead, this time she actually made her fakeout by attempting to go right and actually throwing to the left._

 _Her face radiated as she flew back down to the ground. She was only one goal behind Pucey and she had beaten the other highest score of those who hadn't played on the team before. Warrington could annihilate her score and yet she was still almost guaranteed a spot in the finals. Leila practically collapsed in happiness as Theo took to the air. For only being a second year, he performed decently making four out of his ten shots, which was actually better than the average going so far. Theo joined her on the grass with a shrug before Warrington mounted his broomstick for his trial. Leila bit her bottom lip as she sat up to watch. His first attempt, the Quaffle easily got past Bletchley. He then made four more in a row which made Leila groan._

" _I'm doomed," Leila whispered._

" _I know as your friend I'm supposed to say something positive; but yeah, you're doomed."_

" _Thanks," Leila said sarcastically._

" _He's going to have to seriously botch-up when testing the Keepers."_

 _Then out of nowhere, Warrington jerked on his broom causing the Quaffle to go falling to the ground. He looked completely baffled, but because it left his hand, it got counted as an attempt. Warrington tried to argue with Flint, but Flint wasn't giving him any do-overs. Apparently, she had taken too long on her own trial and Flint claimed he wanted to be done by midnight. Cassius's anger must have gotten the better of him because he missed the next goal too. By the time he was finished, he was tied with Leila for how many goals he had made. Although, Leila couldn't help but be curious how he had managed to go into the trial so confident only to tie her. Maybe there was still some hope left for her, however small the glimmer was. Warrington's face clearly read that he wasn't pleased by his performance. Leila tried to look away so that he couldn't see how happy she was about the situation…only in the process she managed to catch Malfoy's eye who winked at her. What was with the blonde prat? He was acting awfully odd lately. Then again, he always acted odd around her; but she made it her mission in life to ignore him at any cost._

 _When all the Chasers had finally gone through, Flint asked Cassius Warrington, Graham Montague, and Leila Potter to stay behind with him and Adrian Pucey to try out the Keepers. There weren't many of them. Actually, there were only two other boys giving it a try besides Bletchley and Leila was pretty sure that Bletchley's trial was going against all the Chasers. Most people knew that Miles Bletchley was the best Keeper that they had, despite not being on the same level as Gryffindor's Wood. To try test the first Keeper prospect, Flint had Warrington, Montague, and Pucey mount their brooms, while Leila was left to sit and watch. Leila noticed Flint whisper something to Montague, who nodded his head before zooming higher in the air. The three boys flew through the air and much to Leila's surprise, Pucey and Montague seemed to be playing keep-away from Warrington. The prospect didn't protect a single goal of the first five attempts, so Flint called him down to give the second prospect a try. This time, Leila was allowed to fly; along with Warrington and Flint. Leila was somewhat surprised that Flint took to the air after having watched everything else; but she didn't question it. She mounted her broom and took to the air._

 _Flint started with the Quaffle before he passed it to Warrington. Warrington took off toward the goal post and Leila made sure she stayed close behind him, but then suddenly, the boy stopped. Leila stopped in front of him and was somewhat shocked to see a look of confusion on his face before the Quaffle fell from his hand and sped toward the ground. Maybe Malfoy was wrong. Maybe all she needed to do was be able to hold onto the Quaffle, something Warrington had just failed at despite not having any pressure on him. Leila zoomed down toward the ground. The scene looked somewhat eerily similar to last year when Harry dove for the Snitch; only Leila caught the Quaffle and pulled up several yards from the grass rather than mere inches. She heard some cheers from behind her as Warrington called for her to pass the Quaffle back to him; but this was her chance and she wasn't about to give it up to him. Instead, she raced toward the Warrington before sharply jutting away from him only several inches from him before she headed toward the goal posts. She easily scored against him. Leila smiled. Maybe Warrington wasn't their go-to person. Maybe he had just cracked under the pressure. Although, he hadn't really seemed under any pressure at the beginning of the trials. Either way, she didn't care. She had just shown Slytherins best Chaser prospect up. They had several more attempts against the Keeper prospect. Another one of Warrington's throws went terribly and Leila managed to save it too. Warrington did manage to make a single goal, but he seemed rather shaken up when the trial ended as he slammed his broom onto the grass. He was clearly frustrated with himself, especially after being shone up by Leila Potter. Leila wasn't sure whether he angrier at the fact that it was her…or the fact that she was a little girl._

 _~*~End Flashback~*~_

To this day, Leila was still surprised she had made the Quidditch team back then; but she always had a suspicion it had something to do with Harry. Scratch that, she knew that it had to do with Harry being her brother and the fact that she had easy access to his broom…the Nimbus 2000 that was no more. Leila sighed before she reached for her Firebolt. Sirius Black had gotten her one too, which she was rather thankful to not have to use the broom paid for by the Malfoy family. She then handed it toward Ginny who looked at it hesitantly.

"What will you use?" Ginny questioned.

"I suppose I could use this old thing," Leila grinned as she pointed toward her Nimbus 2001, which was the second newest broom in that shed.

"You really shouldn't be complaining. Some people would be lucky to have _that old thing_."

"Even though it was paid for by the Malfoys?"

"Point taken, but give me the Firebolt before I start feeling bad for you."

Leila smirked at her friend, before she reached for her Nimbus 2001. It really wasn't a bad broom, she just didn't like being associated with the Malfoy family…especially after last year. The girls kicked off the ground and flew into the air. They started by racing around the clearing. Ginny obviously beat her because she had the faster broom, but Leila wasn't too far behind on the _old_ broom. They then tossed the Quaffle around for a while, pretending that they were working together to score. Both girls were chasers for their House teams; but Leila was always amazed at how well she and Ginny worked together as a team. Too bad Ginny hadn't been sorted into Slytherin—the Slytherin chasers would have been unstoppable. But then again, Gryffindor also had Harry who was a far superior flier compared to Leila. He had the agility of a Seeker, but Leila didn't really mind because she played the same position that her father did when he was at Hogwarts. Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed through the clearing that it was time for breakfast. The girls landed and stared walking back toward the house. Leila wasn't hungry, but she knew that Ginny was from her growling stomach.

"Gryffindor will be winning the Quidditch Cup this year," Ginny said in a teasing tone.

"I think you're mistaken. Slytherin will be…" Leila started.

"You really think Malfoy will get the Snitch before Harry? In your dreams."

"Not even there. The only dreams I have of Malfoy are nightmares."

"So you admit that you've dreamt of him before?"

"Oh shut it."

"Then it doesn't look like Slytherin is going to win against Gryffindor anytime soon."

"We'll see about that. I may not like the prat, but he's good Seeker."

"Did I just hear you say something _good_ about Malfoy?"

"Shocking, I know. It's probably the only time it will ever happen too."

Ginny shook her head before they set their brooms back in the shed and walked into the house. Leila was rather pleased to find Hermione sitting on a chair at the kitchen table across from Mrs. Weasley holding something over her face. She turned to see Harry and Fleur standing there as watching as Mrs. Weasley tried to put something on Granger's face. Leila moved to get a better look when she saw a giant bruise covering Granger's face.

"What the hell happened to your face, Granger?" Leila commented. Granger groaned in frustration as Leila continued, "It looks like…"

"I know what it looks like!" Granger shrieked.

"Now look who got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Leila folded her arms across her chest with a smug expression on her face as Mrs. Weasley attempted to hush her while she continued to work at the bruise on Granger's face.

"This has always worked before. I just can't understand why it wouldn't work now," Mrs. Weasley said wiping bruise removal paste on Granger. "It's just got to work."

"Unless it's Fred and George's idea of a funny joke making sure it can't come off," Ginny suggested. The thought actually entertained Leila. Granger being stuck with a black eye forever; but the thought made Granger wail.

"Aw c'mon Gragner, it's a vast improvement to your face," Leila chuckled.

"Not helping."

"Fred and George aren't the only ones who can tell a joke, you know."

"But the difference is you weren't joking," Granger retorted.

"How would you know?"

"Because I know you better than _that_."

"You don't know me."

"Shut it!" Ginny hissed, her chest still heaving a bit as she stood there. Granger and Leila both slightly nodded their heads before they attempted to glare at each other; but Granger couldn't glare. So instead, Leila couldn't help but smirk in Granger's direction as Ginny rolled her eyes at the two of them. "I don't understand it, why don't the two of you get along?"

"More like they _won't_ get along," Harry groaned walking a little closer toward them.

"Hey, if you were me you wouldn't get along with her either," Leila retorted.

"The feeling is mutual," Granger stated before changing the subject. "Mrs. Weasley, are you sure no owls arrived this morning?"

"I'm sure dear. I think I'd have noticed; but not to worry, there's still plenty of time."

"For what?" Ron asked walking into the kitchen.

"Our O.W.L. results, Ronald," Granger stated.

"Oh, tried to forget about those."

Leila too had tried not to focus much on her O.W.L. results. She knew that she had passed, that much was certain; but what she was more concerned about was beating Malfoy. Granger, the know-it-all, always ended up being top of the class, much to Leila's chagrin; but this left her to battle with Malfoy for second place. She desperately hoped that her O.W.L. exam scores would nudge her above Malfoy this year. Last year had been dreadful because he had beaten her out to be second in the class. He spent the entire year bragging about it to her…well, until that night at the Ministry. After that night, Draco had grown rather silent and distant from her. Leila sighed as Granger started complaining about how she was sure she failed every single test.

"Granger, will you shut it? You're top of our class. You obviously didn't fail," Leila groaned. "If anyone failed it would've been Harry or Ron."

"Thanks," Harry commented sarcastically.

"Hey, it's true. See, you've got nothing to worry about Granger."

"Yeah, when you've got your eleven "Outstanding" O.W.L.'s…" Ron started.

"Don't! Don't! Don't! I know I've failed everything. Besides, you wouldn't even understand…" Granger began to vent, but Leila walked over and placed her hand over Granger's mouth. Hermione narrowed one eye at Leila, while the other one remained rather swollen and puffy.

"Now you listen here. I took just as many tests as you did and you don't see me getting my wand in a knot," Leila stated.

"Wait, you took eleven tests?" Ron questioned. Leila just looked at him and nodded as if it were obvious she had taken that many tests. "Did you drop a class and take the test like Hermione? You would have had to have dropped one…unless..."

Leila couldn't help but smile at seeing how confused Ron was. Both she and Granger had been given time turners their third year to help them get to classes. Harry knew about this because he had travelled back in time with them to save Sirius and Buckbeak. But poor Ron on the other hand had been cooped up in the hospital wing. They had never taken the time to fully explain things to Ron because terrible things could happen to those that messed with time. Leila had lasted two years longer than Granger had with the time turner, but Leila had done it purely out of spite for wanting to best Granger. But she was pretty sure she wouldn't be given a time turner this year after they had destroyed all the ones at the Ministry. Which was all right with her.

"Were you in…" Ron started, still trying to figure things out.

"Yes, you dolt, I took Divination with you. I didn't drop any classes last year," Leila stated. "Probably should have with everything that was going on, but thankfully I don't really need to study to get passing marks…and that the O.W.L. marks are the ones that really only matter."

"But how is that possible?"

"Divination hardly counts as a class. It's a load of rubbish," Granger cut in.

"You just think that because Trelawney hated you," Leila retorted.

"And how is making up new ways to die educational?"

"So…what happens if you fail a class?" Harry asked no one in particular, forcing his way into the conversation. Thankfully, it was Granger who started rambling on to him about it giving Leila the opportunity to walk away and to the stove where leftover sausages lay on the stove. Leila picked one up and ate it was Mrs. Weasley walked over to her and smiled.

"I used to be able to eat anything I wanted just like you; but my figure isn't what it used to be. Probably because I had seven children." Leila immediately dropped the sausage in her hands back down onto the plate before Ron came by and swiped it.

"You do realize I almost ate that," Leila said.

"Yeah… _almost_ ," Ron stated with his mouth full of food causing Leila to shake her head. Apparently, somethings never change and boys will be boys, no matter how disgusting the situation might be. All of a sudden Granger started shrieking. Leila's hands quickly covered her ears and she turned to see Granger jumping up and down, pointing at the window.

"Bloody hell, Granger. You could give the Bandon Banshee a run for his money." But Leila froze when she saw what Granger was pointing at. Four small black specks were coming closer toward the house. Ron pushed past Leila and ran to Granger's side. Harry yanked Leila by the arm as the four of them stood near the window, their hearts racing as the specks got closer.

"Definitely owls," Ron said gulping air.

"And there are four of them," Harry added.

"One for each of us," Leila whispered as Granger started repeating the words _oh no._ Leila tried to steady her breathing as Mrs. Weasley opened the window for four owls to fly inside. The owls perched themselves on the window sill, each one was carrying a letter. Ron, Leila, Hermione, and Harry each found the owl with the letter addressed to them. Granger was still outwardly panicking, but Leila let it slide because she was an absolute wreck on the inside.

"Aren't you even nervous?" Harry whispered to her as he stared at the owl with his letter.

"Really? Of course I am. I just don't always wear my emotions on my sleeves, like some people."

Leila then reached for her letter and tore open the envelope. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly before she opened the parchment and looked at the results which could very well seal her fate:

 **Ordinary Wizarding Level Results**

 _ **Pass Grades Fail Grades**_

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

 _ **Leila Mae Potter has achieved:**_

Study of Ancient Runes O

Arithmancy O

Astronomy O

Care of Magical Creatures O

Charms O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination A

Herbology O

History of Magic E

Potions O

Transfiguration O

After seeing her results, Leila was actually rather pleasantly surprised. She had done quite well. Far better than she had thought she had done, not that she thought she had failed. She had just thought she had done quite average, but she was gladly mistaken. Leila breathed a sigh of relief when Harry snatched her parchment from her hands.

"Let's see here…" Harry said as he opened the parchment.

"Give those back, you prat. They're mine," Leila hissed, but Harry moved away from her as she tried to snatch them back. He then put them above his head and started to read them. Even though he only had a few inches on her, it was enough to keep the paper from her reach. Leila groaned her brother's name when he gasped. "What?"

"Only an 'A' in Divination?"

"Shut it, Harry."

"You can't continue in it, you know," Granger stated matter-of-factly not letting her leave her own results.

"Well, I was going to have to drop a class anyway. But how did _you_ do?"

"I—not bad, I guess."

"You guess?" Ron said swiping Hermione's results from her. "Oh, come off it. Just as expected—ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defense."

"Are you not happy with those results? I mean, you did beat me after all," Leila said.

"It's not that," Hermione sighed.

"If you're scared Malfoy beat you for top marks, I can already tell you he didn't."

"Why's that?" Ginny questioned.

"Dunno, just trying this whole being nice to Granger thing. Not sure I like it." Ginny playfully pushed her, knocking her into a chair, causing her to fall onto it. Ron and Harry laughed at her, but Granger's eyes were still glued to her results letter. Leila rolled her eyes. How many more times did she need to see that she had ten Outstandings?

"Well, we're NEWT students now! Mum, are there anymore sausages?" Ron asked which caused Leila to groan, but he ignored it. Mrs. Weasley shooed Ron from the kitchen as Leila walked over to her brother who was now sitting on a chair looking over his results again rather quietly. Leila sat down beside him, but he didn't look at her.

"Everything all right, Harry?" Leila asked.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't they be?" Harry said looking to his sister.

"Just asking, big brother. So, how did you do?"

"Not as good as you."

"Obviously, but let's have a look anyway."

Harry reluctantly handed Leila his results. Leila examined them and nodded her head. They weren't terrible marks, but they definitely wouldn't put Harry at the top of the class. She looked over to her brother and smiled before she rested her head on his shoulder. She just hoped that this year wouldn't be as difficult as last year and that hopefully, they could finally just have a normal year at Hogwarts.

 **Author's note: And here's another chapter rewritten for ya'll! Enjoy!**

 **ariahowell:** How lovely to hear from you again! Sorry someone hacked your ginnypotterr account. :( Sorry for the confusion. In my original draft, I actually had Leila as a ginger believe it or not. haha. But everyone makes their sister ginger, so I decided against it. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Fire and Chaos:** I'm glad that you liked this story too! It's actually a rewrite. It was originally written five years ago and my writing has improved a bit since then haha. Glad you like Roman! He wasn't in the original draft and I love the twins relationship too! They had their troubles during the first couple of years, but the Triwizard Tournament really bonded them together.


	4. Happee Birthdae

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Happee Birthdae**

Summers at the Burrow were always much more pleasant than those spent at number four Privet Drive, even if Leila was forced to endure the company of Hermione Granger. Thankfully, the room she shared with Harry tended to be her safe haven. Not to mention that Roman was there to protect her…unless Crookshanks happened by. Then all bets were off. It annoyed both Leila and Hermione that Roman and Crookshanks were friends, something that would never happen to the two witches. Leila was also glad that Granger wasn't much of a Quidditch player, so it was her escape from the know-it-all and the boys and Ginny liked to toss around the Quaffle with her. It was rather funny, Leila had learned most of what she knew about Quidditch from Fred and George. They had given her Quidditch lessons first year when she was quite jealous about being in Harry's shadow when he made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. So, she had worked hard to try to make the team her second year. They had even been willing to work with her during Christmas break when they were all stuck at Hogwarts.

 _~*~_ _ **1st year Flashback**_ _~*~_

 _At the start of Christmas break, things seemed rather dull and lonely. Leila and Theodore Nott were the only first year Slytherins left at Hogwarts; but she didn't see much of him because for some strange reason he stayed up in his dormitory most of the time. Thankfully for Leila, Fred and George were often willing to do something with her. Even with the snow and wind, both twins were happy to go down to the Quidditch pitch with her. This was probably the only opportunity she was going to get that was going to be Malfoy-free. There was no way she was going to ask her brother, so she asked the twins to lend her a broomstick. Both Fred and George had rather sorry looking broomsticks; but it was nice to see that the talent came from the one riding the broom and not necessarily the broom._

 _Leila was just happy that this wasn't flying lessons with Madam Hooch and the other first years. Although, to be fair, their last flying lesson had been almost as entertaining as their first; Millicent Bulstrode had crashed on her broom landing face-first into a pile of snow causing her skirt to go flying up. Thus, the entire first year class had a view of Bulstrode's knickers. Leila easily laughed at the scene, but what had surprised her was that even Pansy Parkinson was trying hard to cover her laughter._

 _The lessons with Fred and George were actually going quite well. Well, the flying part. The catching the Quaffle part—not so much. But Leila was determined to get this right. Her father had been a Chaser and she very much wanted to follow in his footsteps, wanting some way to be able to connect to him. Fred tossed the Quaffle in Leila's direction. It slipped out of her hands and started falling toward the ground. Leila tipped the broom downward and sped to catch the zooming Quaffle. She raced underneath it and barely caught it the second time. Leila held it tightly against her chest, breathing heavily as Fred flew beside her._

" _You're actually a fair flier," Fred commented as he hovered on his broom beside Leila. "Could use a bit of work on the catching though."_

"I _know that," Leila retorted._

" _What's that supposed to mean?" George asked as he swooped over on one of the old school brooms. The Potter girl muttered the word_ nothing _before she accidentally dropped the Quaffle, but Fred flew down and caught it. He looked up at Leila and then looked over to his brother._

" _Something the matter?" Fred questioned._

" _Nothing. I'm fine," Leila groaned._

" _I think she's lying Georgie," Fred said cocking his head. Leila rolled her eyes._

" _I know she is, Freddie," George commented._

" _If she won't tell us willingly…"_

" _Then we'll have to force it out of her."_

" _What should we do to her? Throw her in a snowbank?"_

" _It's nothing," Leila said. "It's stupid, really."_

" _We're related to Ron," Fred chuckled. "I think we understand stupid."_

" _It's just that…" Leila paused for a second as Fred nodded for her to continue. "Everyone's always so concerned about Harry. So Harry got his broomstick up first. I wasn't far behind him or Malfoy. Yet he's the one…"_

" _Oh, that type of stupid," George said._

" _We're used to that kind of stupid too," Fred added._

" _We felt the same way, coming on the team after Charlie."_

" _Always being compared to Charlie. Charlie this…"_

" _Charlie that…Drove us bloody insane…well almost."_

" _Are you still…angry…with your brother about it?" Leila questioned._

" _No," both twins responded simultaneously._

" _Why not?"_

" _Just showed 'em that what we did had nothing to do with Charlie," Fred answered._

" _Worked hard and they came around eventually," George finished._

" _You want to play, don't you?" Leila could only nod her head. The twins didn't say anything more. Instead, they decided it would be fun to aim Bludgers at her while she had to swerve through the air to miss them. Leila was pretty sure that they went easy on her because hardly any of the Bludgers actually came anywhere near her and the ones that did, the boys would immediately apologize for. Despite how much she enjoyed doing this, she was never going to get on the team by having them take it easy on her. Besides, Slytherin Quidditch players weren't a bunch of sissies. She was going to have to prove herself if she expected on making the House team._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila smiled fondly as she thought of the twins and learning Quidditch. Her hard work had paid off and she had made the team second year; but she was pretty sure it was only because Flint wanted to mess with Harry. Although from third year on, she had earned her place on the team. Leila turned and looked toward the window to see the rain pattering against the window pane. Not exactly the bright and cheerful weather for one's sixteenth birthday. She backed away from the glass, hardly believing that it really was her sixteenth birthday. She went over the days once more in her head to make sure and she was quite sure. But if it was her birthday…it also meant that it was Harry's sixteenth birthday. A slightly evil glint began to gleam in her eye as she turned toward her brother. She tiptoed across the room before she made a running leap from the wooden floor to Harry's bed. Leila landed hard on top of her brother causing him to instantly wake up with a grunt. Harry's bewildered eyes looked to his sister, who sat on top of him with a smirk on her face.

"What was that for?" Harry groaned.

"What do you mean, 'what was that for?' I'm pretty bloody well sure that you know exactly what it was for," Leila retorted.

"Geroff."

"Say it." But Harry refused to say it. Leila's face contorted a bit before she leaned closer toward her brother's face. "But its tradition. You can't very well go breaking tradition."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a tradition."

"And you're supposed to be the intelligent one."

"Harry James Potter."

"Leila," Harry said as he squirmed beneath her, causing her to topple over. Leila lay in an awkward position between Harry and the wall on the bed which caused her brother to chuckle and ruffle her hair. "Happy birthday, Leils."

"I'd say the same to you; but you're being an insufferable prat." Harry shook his head before he sat up to reach for his glasses that sat on the table beside his bed. He roughly shoved the glasses on his face when there was a tap at the bedroom window. Both Harry and Leila's eyes darted to the window to see three owls sitting on the windowsill begging for entrance. Leila quickly rolled over her brother, who groaned in discomfort, before her bare feet padded against the floor as she walked toward the window. As she opened the window a gust of rain and wind forced the drenched owls inside.

"Poor things," Leila muttered before she rushed over to Hedwig's cage to grab each of the owls a treat for their work. After she gently patted each owl on the head, she fed them a treat before untying the parcels that were attached to their claws. Two of the parcels were addressed to her and the other was addressed to her and Harry. Without even having to open it; Leila knew that the parcel addressed to her and Harry was from Hagrid. The wrapping was just so...uniquely Hagrid. So, she tossed the package at her brother who easily caught it. Leila shook her head with a slight smile as Harry opened the package to unveil Hagrid's infamous rock cakes. "Yummy."

Harry laughed at his sister's sentiment. Leila was rather thankful that they were at the Burrow so that they weren't forced to eat those blasted cakes. She knew that they came from the right place: Hagrid's heart; but that didn't help improve the flavour or texture of the things, having been forced to endure them on several occasions. Leila slightly shuddered at the sight of the rock cakes as Harry tossed them to the floor, so she turned her attention to the other small parcels. Once both parcels were safely in her hands, the owls flew away into the now gently pouring rain.

"Who are they from?" Harry asked.

"Dunno, does it look like I've opened them?" Leila retorted.

"Hand 'em over then."

"See here? The name says 'Leila Potter' not 'Insufferable Prat'...oops, I mean 'Harry Potter.'"

"Funny." Leila stuck her tongue out at her brother as she moved to walk back to her bed; but surprisingly, Harry quickly intercepted her. He snatched the parcel from Leila's right hand. Leila tried attempted to fight him off; but Harry's quick Seeker-like reflexes easily outmatched her. Harry ripped open the attached card while Leila whined for him to return her gift. Harry looked at the name on the bottom of the card before throwing a look of disgust to his sister."Nott?" Harry groaned. "Why's he sending you a package?"

"Because it's my birthday and he's my friend. I thought the connection to be obvious," Leila retorted.

"Why else?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Don't lie to me."

"Well, I thought you said you didn't want to hear of any other Slytherins I may be snogging."

"I don't," Harry narrowed his eyes at his sister. "So, this better not be me finding out that you are snogging him."

"I think you can tell the answer for yourself at this precise moment."

"He better not be your bloody boyfriend."

"Just because I'm your little sister doesn't mean I have to listen to everything you tell me to do. Besides, it's nothing serious. Now give it back."

The look on Harry's face easily told his sister that he didn't believe her. Leila rolled her eyes at him and attempted to swipe her things back; but Harry held the present and it's card as high in the air as he could. While Harry wasn't the tallest person in the world, he still had roughly five inches on his sister. Leila attempted to reach her full height but it proved to be no help to her. So, she pulled on her brother's arm to help her gain momentum as she jumped straight up in the air. Every time she jumped, Harry still managed to maneuver out of her way. After several failed attempts, Harry couldn't help but start laughing at her ill-managed attempts to get back what belonged to her.

"Say it, if you ever want to see what _Nott_ got you," Harry threatened.

"Harry," Leila snarled.

"Three little words."

"I hate you?"

"I appreciate the sentiment; but not quite."

"How about five little words?" Leila glared at Harry who shrugged at his sister; but she continued anyway. "Happy birthday you insufferable prat."

"Close enough." Harry chuckled before tossing Leila back her gift and card from Theo.

Leila purposely ran into her brother with a sour look on her face before she retreated back to her bed. "He's not my boyfriend, just so you know."

"Well, he certainly fancies you."

"We're just friends."

"That's not the story I heard last year."

"Ron's an idiot. He caught Theo and I snogging-once. It doesn't mean that it was anything serious. I made it quite clear to Theo that I was in a bad place last year and that it meant nothing."

"If he's anything like someone else who's fancied you for years-I doubt he took you seriously."

Leila rolled her eyes at her brother's _subtle_ mention of Malfoy before she began opening her presents. From Theodore Nott, she had gotten a couple of Sugar Quills and a pocket book of Quidditch moves Leila then turned to the second present and quickly opened the envelope which had a note from her best friend, Daphne. Leila couldn't help but smile at her friend's note which contained many inside jokes between the two of them before she tore into the parcel. The parcel contained a delicate silver bracelet with a diamond pendant and several copies of a Wizarding beauty magazine. To some, the present would seem rather vain; but Leila knew that while her best friend could have those tendencies, she really wasn't all that bad. Leila was almost disappointed that Malfoy hadn't gotten her anything. This was the first year since she knew him that he hadn't sent her anything on her birthday. Thank Merlin for that, although, she was certain it was because of what had happened at the Department of Mysteries last year. It was funny how in a single moment everything could change.

Looking up, Leila could see her brother trying to scrutinize her gifts, so she quickly shoved them in her trunk and warned her brother against going in there. Harry muttered something under his breath before he followed Leila out of the room and downstairs. In the kitchen, they found Mrs. Weasley bustling over a giant frying pan on the stove. They twins tried to quietly find a place to sit at the table without Mrs. Weasley taking notice; but she did anyway. The older woman walked away from the sizzling food to envelop the twins in a hug.

"Harry, Leila, happy birthday!" Mrs. Weasley said with a broad smile.

Harry and Leila kindly thanked Mrs. Weasley before the woman ushered them to the kitchen table where she had two special places set up. One for Harry and one for Leila. The twins sat down at the table as Mrs. Weasley began dishing up pancakes with raspberries and white chocolate chips. Leila's stomach began to growl as Mrs. Weasley set the first stack of food before them. Leila and Harry dished their own pancakes before they began to devour their food. Leila was so busy eating her food that she missed Fleur come in and wish them a happy birthday until Harry nudged her in the ribs. The Potter girl offered Fleur a half-smile before she went back to eating her food as Ron groggily walked into the kitchen.

"Why don't you ever make those for me?" Ron asked with a yawn.

"It's a special occasion, Ronald," Mrs. Weasley said matter-of-factly.

"Because your own son's birthday isn't special enough?"

"She can't very well make you a birthday breakfast because we're normally at Hogwarts on your birthday," Leila added.

"But still. It's the basic principle: I swear she likes you two better."

"Just as she should."

"Ron, it's only because she doesn't have to put up with Leila that often," Harry teased.

"Isn't that the truth?" Ron chuckled.

"I'm right here, you know," Leila scoffed.

"We know," Harry and Ron said simultaneously.

Leila muttered to herself as Ron yawned once more before he joined the twins at the table. He sat down across from Harry and reached with his fork for the stack of pancakes in the centre of the table. He stabbed his fork through four pancakes. They barely made it to his plate before he began to shovel them into his mouth. As Ron ate heartily, Hermione and Ginny walked into the kitchen for breakfast. They both looked utterly repulsed by Ron's eating habits.

"Where on earth did you learn how to eat, Ronald?" Hermione grimaced.

"Get off it, Hermione," Ron said with his mouth full of chewed pancakes.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Hermione greeted with a smile. "And…Leila," she finished with a much dimmer smile as she sat down beside Ron. Leila rolled her eyes, knowing full-well why Granger chose to sit beside Ron-despite how blind _he_ might have been to the situation. But Leila didn't have a chance to make any smart-aleck retorts.

"Happy birthday," Ginny said cheerfully as she sat down beside from Leila and gave her a side hug. Leila rested her head on Ginny's shoulder with a smile.

"I almost bloody-well forgot! Happy Birthday!" Ron said spewing his food across the table at Harry and Leila.

"Ew…spew…" Leila pushed her plate away from her because bits of Ron's food landed on her plate.

"Not now, Leila. I've had it up to here with that." Ron gestured above his head with his hand. "I just wish Hermione would let me resign. Please? As a birthday present?"

"Not Granger's idiotic group, you prat," Leila said rolling her eyes. "I'm talking about the pancakes you _spewed_ all over me. Besides, it's not even your birthday. It's mine."

Ron looked at Leila in confusion before he reached for another pancake. Leila stopped him and pushed her plate toward him, which he shrugged and began to eat. She had lost her appetite after Ron had spewed his food onto hers. Mrs. Weasley came and sat down at the table. She had literally just sat down when she popped right back up again and went running toward the window. Leila shot Ginny a confused glance, but the ginger-haired girl simply shrugged her shoulders. The Potter girl watched as the Weasley matriarch opened the window to allow an owl entrance. For a moment, Leila cringed, hoping that Malfoy hadn't decided to send something after all; but she almost felt disappointed to find out that it wasn't even for her. Why had she been expecting that it was from Malfoy? After the way they had parted last year, it shouldn't be expected; but yet for some reason she did. That hardly made sense. Malfoy annoyed her to no end, she really shouldn't care.

"So what are we going to do all day? Ron questioned, breaking Leila out of her reverie. "I mean we have to something until the…"

"Ron!" Hermione hissed sharply as she elbowed him. "It's supposed to be a surprise."

"Merlin's beard, it's their birthday Hermione. I think Harry and Leila already know we're having a party."

"A party?" Leila asked coyly, because while she didn't enjoy Granger's know-it-all attitude, Ron had set himself up perfectly for this and if she had learned anything from Fred and George: always, always take perfect opportunities.

"Oh sod off, Leila. I know you knew about it."

"Did I Ron?" Leila rested her elbows on the table and then put her head on her hands, looking directly at Ron. Her eyes widened and took on a childish expression as she innocently blinked several times. "Did I?"

"See?" Hermione retorted.

"For being first in our class, you're awfully thick to when I'm having a go at Ron."

"I knew what you were doing." Hermione's posture stiffened and her face began to twinge pink.

"You didn't have a clue."

"Contrary to what you believe, Leila-I do know you a fair bit."

"You know nothing about me."

"Can we please not start this now?" Harry groaned. "Why don't we just go outside and play Quidditch or something?"

"I agree. Anything that will get us out of the house and away from Fleur." Ginny offered, coming almost too quickly to Harry's defense. If Leila hadn't known that Ginny was dating Dean Thomas, she might have suspected that her friend fancied her brother again. "How about boys versus girls."

"What? Why do we have to have Granger?" Leila groaned. "She's dead-awful at Quidditch." Ginny gave Leila a raised eyebrow. "What? It's a commonly known fact, isn't that right, Granger?"

"I-I…" Hermione began.

"Hermione's on our team, Leila," Ginny stated. "We have to at least give the boys a chance, don't you think?"

Leila looked to Ginny and smirked before looking over to Ron who was still shoveling food into his mouth. "They're going to need all the help they can get," Leila chortled which made Ginny start to laugh. Surprisingly, even Granger started to chuckle, but Leila quickly stopped herself once she realized Granger was joining in on the laugh. The Potter girl slowly stood up, leaned against the table, and looked between the boys. "You two have fifteen minutes before your untimely deaths. Enjoy them while you can."

"You're not going to win-you have Hermione," Harry responded with a sly grin.

"Hey! Why do you get to poke fun at Granger?"

"Because I'm actually friends with her."

"You poke fun at my friends all the time and you're not friends with them."

"Didn't realize Malfoy was your friend," Ron interrupted, pushing his plate away from him.

"Shut it, Ron." Leila glared at Ron for a moment as Harry stood, folding his arms across his chest. "And for the record, I loathe Malfoy just as much as you lot-maybe even more."

"Is that why you're always talking to him?" Harry questioned, knowing full-well he was in for an earful from his sister; but even Harry knew better than to pass up on an open opportunity.

"You of all people know that I only talk to him to tell him to leave me alone. Besides, you should be happy to know that we haven't spoken since he found out I was partially responsible for what happened to his father. Now, are we going to sit around all day talking about Malfoy or are we actually going to play some Quidditch?" With that, Leila turned on her heel and moved to walk away but her foot got caught on the leg of the table causing her to go crashing to the floor. Everyone inside started to laugh as Leila's face turned bright pink in embarrassment. She muttered something to herself before she pushed herself off the floor and walked upstairs to the room she shared with Harry.

Leila quickly changed her clothes into something more suitable for playing Quidditch and then walked back downstairs. Ron made a comment about her wearing a Slytherin Quidditch t-shirt, but she ignored him as the group headed outside. Ginny pushed her a little faster because she was paranoid Fleur would try to ask them what they were doing. Leila rolled her eyes as she leaned back against Ginny's hands which were moving her forward. The group stopped at the broomshed and pulled out their brooms. Leila claimed her Firebolt this time, not wanting to give the boys any reasons to be ahead of them. Without even asking, Ron grabbed her Nimbus 2001-even he knew that it was a much better broom than anything else in their shed. But Leila immediately snatched it out of his hands and tossed it over to Granger.

"Maybe if you have a decent broom you won't stink so much," Leila retorted. Granger fumbled to find anything to say for once which caused Leila to smirk. Ginny then elbowed her in the side. "Hey, what was that for?" But Ginny didn't say anything. Instead she grabbed a broom and the group then walked out to the clearing.

Once in the clearing, Leila mounted her Firebolt and took off flying. Harry did the same and started chasing after his sister. With a smile on her face, Leila leaned down closer to her broom and sped up. There once would have been a time when Harry could have easily overtaken her; but her Quidditch skills had come a long way. She was probably even one of the best Chasers on the Slytherin team. The Potter twins circled Ron who was hovering in the middle of the clearing. "Are you two going to play or not?" Leila looked back at her brother before she quickly swerved, almost causing him to run into her. He muttered something under his breath before the two of them flew toward the center of the clearing.

Granger was barely table atop the Nimbus 2001 which only hovered a few feet from the ground. Not wanting to piss her brother off, Leila wisely chose not to say anything. Having fewer players on their side, the boys started with the Quaffle; but that didn't really mean anything. Neither Harry nor Ron were actually Chasers, while both Leila and Ginny played the position on their respective teams. Not to say that the boys were terrible at the position; they just didn't have as much practice at playing it. Ron took off toward the end with the Quaffle under his arm; but Ginny easily stole it from him. She gave it a hard toss toward Leila who caught it before Harry had a chance to block it. Leila then took off toward her goal end of the clearing. Harry flew right beside her, trying to knock into her; but it didn't even phase her. Instead, she laughed at his attempt. Being a Slytherin, they practiced _that_ move all the time. So, she pushed him back before she quickly dove downward. Leila then raced Harry to the end before she scored.

It was nearly three hours later before the boys finally admitted defeat. Leila was somewhat certain it was because Ron was hungry; but even if this had been an official game-the catching of the Snitch wouldn't have even helped the boys. Ginny and Leila proved to be much more of a challenge than either of them had anticipated. As they headed back toward the house, Leila ran and jumped on top of her brother's back, dropping her broom to the ground. Harry groaned for her to get off his back, but he didn't make any move to remove her. Leila stayed on Harry's back until they got to the back door of the Burrow where he literally dropped her on the stairs. She made a rather rough landing onto her ass, so she stuck out her leg causing her brother to trip and fall. Harry grumbled as Leila laughed while Hermione finally managed to catch-up with the rest of them, dragging two brooms behind her-both of them Leila's.

Leila stood up to walk inside, but when she got to the door, Mrs Weasley stood in the opening with a rather large picnic basket. She thrust it toward Leila. "Why not enjoy a picnic down by the water. I'm sure it's quite lovely."

"You're not trying to get rid of us, are you?" Leila questioned.

"What did Ron tell you?" Mrs Weasley turned toward Ron and slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Why does everyone always think it's me?" Ron questioned.

"Because Fred and George aren't here. Process of elimination leads directly to you," Leila retorted as she held the picnic basket out for Ron to grab. He grumbled something before he grudgingly took the basket from Leila. The birthday girl then turned toward Mrs Weasley and sweetly thanked her before the group walked away to find a spot to eat.

"You're such a toady," Ron grunted to Leila as he attempted to carry the heavy basket. "You think you could at least try the same thing with Snape for us every once in awhile."

"And be at the bottom of the barrel with you lot? I don't think so." Leila skipped by him and stuck her tongue out at Ron, causing him to groan. He muttered something about when he would be able to use magic.

When they got near the pond, Ron practically dropped the basket to the ground. Leila shook her head before taking a deep breath and looking out at the land around them. Her heart panged when she looked in the direction where Cedric had lived. It had been over a year since his death and for the most part she had moved on with her life; but sometimes it still hurt. In the corner of her eye, Leila caught Ginny looking at her sympathetically; so she mouthed that she was fine before digging in the basket for the blanket Mrs Weasley had packed them and spreading it on the ground.

Leila was the first one to plop onto the blanket while Ron immediately went for the food in the basket. Hermione swatted at his hand before dragging the basket onto the blanket. The group ate their sandwiches and drank pumpkin juice. When Granger steered the conversation toward school, Leila pretended to ignore the conversation and rolled onto her back to look at the clouds. She and Harry used to do this when they were younger, especially when Dudley would lock them out of the house. Every now and then, Leila's eyes would wander off to one direction-toward where Cedric should be; but she would quickly try to refocus herself. She didn't need to spiral back downward like she had last year.

Eventually, the sound of Mrs Weasley's voice calling them back echoed through the air. The teenagers quickly packed their things up before walking back toward the Burrow once more. As they drew closer, Leila could see floating lanterns inside the house and Mrs Weasley animatedly talking to Fleur. Leila smiled. This felt like home. It always had and sometimes that feeling made her feel awkward because growing up, she had never really known that feeling. There was a sudden crack and Remus Lupin appeared in the yard.

"Uncle Remus!" Leila took off in a run toward her godfather, whom she had affectionately chosen to call uncle, and hugged him tightly. He smiled wearily at her, but returned the hug. He looked like he had aged another ten years since the last she had had seen him; but he was alive and that was what mattered. Leila had met Remus when he had taken the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He had originally hidden the fact that he was her godfather until one day he accidentally let it slip.

 _ **~*~ 3rd year Flashback~*~**_

 _Leila lunged at Malfoy, tackling him to the ground. The blonde haired boy's eyes widened in shock as Leila's face contorted in rage. She was about to take a swing at him when a pair of arms wrapped around her, locking tight against her, and pulled her away from Malfoy. Leila tried to kick and squirm her way out of the embrace; but she quickly realized it would be no use when she saw that it was Professor Lupin breaking up the fight. She narrowed her eyes at Malfoy who slowly moved into a sitting position on the stone floor of the courtyard._

" _Can't seem to stay away, can you? We'll discuss the details later," Malfoy said with a stupid smirk on his face._

" _Let me at him," Leila hissed, with a reinvigorated sense to tackle him all over again; but Professor Lupin's arms stayed tightly wrapped around her as he carried her out of the courtyard. He didn't release her until they were in a corridor and even then his only words were:_ my office _._

 _Professor Lupin walked at a brisk pace as Leila trudged behind him. When they reached his classroom, he opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. Reluctantly, Leila crossed the threshold having already attempted to formulate what she would say to him. He then led her upstairs and motioned for her to have a seat in front of his desk. Leila sighed as she sat down. Honestly, she was unsure of how to read him. From his class she knew that she liked him; but she wasn't sure how he would handle a situation like this. If it were Snape, she'd already have like three detentions. McGonagall, she's probably already be in detention with Malfoy. Lupin paced for a minute behind his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose._

" _What in Godric's name were you thinking? Tackling another student?" he muttered._

" _He deserved what he got," Leila answered. "He told everyone I was going to Hogsmeade with him."_

" _Are you going with him?" His tone seemed curious._

" _Of course not. I wouldn't go to Hogsmeade with him even if my life depended on it. Besides, I don't even have a signed permission slip."_

" _There were other ways to deal with the situation."_

" _I've already tried everything else. He won't leave me alone. He fancies me and I've tried everything I can think of to get him to hate me but it just doesn't work." Leila could have sworn a slight smile began to creep on Professor Lupin's face, but he immediately checked his emotions._

" _That doesn't give you the right to hit another student."_

" _Technically, I didn't hit him. You stopped me before I could. I only tripped because I was so angry and accidentally tackled him to the ground." Leila looked up at her professor innocently. "This is all just a big misunderstanding, Professor. It won't happen again."_

 _Professor Lupin shook his head and rested his palms against his desk, leaning forward against it. "If I would have known you'd have ended up this much like James…" He then stopped himself for a moment before continuing. "I can't just allow such behavior to slide."_

" _But Malfoy started it!"_

" _You know I once knew two students very much like yourself and Mister Malfoy."_

" _Did he get the hint and bugger off?"_

" _He did, eventually." was all Professor Lupin responded. Leila could tell that there was more he wanted to say with the coy smile that was threatening to destroy his calm demeanor. He then straightened his stance, "Miss Potter I'm afraid I'm going to give you a detention."_

" _I figured as much." Leila sighed before resting her arms on his desk and her head on her arms. "What about Malfoy?"_

" _I'll worry about Mister Malfoy. You just come to my room tomorrow evening and we'll keep this little incident between you and me."_

" _You're not going to tell Filch and Snape?"_

" _I see no reason, unless Mister Malfoy chooses to come forward with any information." Both of them seemed to doubt that Draco would be looking to get Leila into trouble. In fact, he probably enjoyed the attention Leila had given him. Leila nodded her head and Professor Lupin motioned her to the door. She quickly sat up and walked toward it. She was only a few steps down the stairs when she heard Professor Lupin mutter, "Of course you made me_ her _godfather." Leila stopped in her tracks, frozen for a moment before she walked back up the stairs and stood in the doorway._

" _What was that?" Professor Lupin seemed shocked for a moment before he regained his composure when Leila started to speak again. "Godfather? You're my godfather?"_

" _I have a meeting with Dumbledore. Very urgent." Professor Lupin then stood up and rushed past her._

 _Leila watched as he quickly moved across the classroom. He was almost to the door when she finally spoke up. "Can we pick this up in detention tomorrow?" She could have sworn she saw Professor Lupin tense up for a moment before he walked out the door, leaving Leila almost looking forward to detention. Almost._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila released Remus from her hug and smiled up at him. He gave her a tired smile before he wished her a happy birthday. "It's good to see you," Leila responded.

"I can hardly believe you're both sixteen. Seems like just yesterday you were in your third year not soon to be going back for your sixth." Remus gave Leila's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "They'd be proud of you, you know."

"You always say that." Remus chuckled at Leila's response. "I'm serious." Leila then proceeded to imitate him until another crack echoed through the air.

Bill Weasley suddenly appeared in the grass. He pushed several stray tendrils of hair behind his ears before he walked over to shake Remus' hand. Leila had gotten to know Bill a little better since he had gotten engaged to Fleur. His hair was longer than his mother approved of; but Bill was a good man. Remus and Bill almost immediately began discussing Order happenings, but it was obvious they were trying to discuss things so that Leila couldn't understand.

"I can take a hint," Leila chuckled before she walked away from the two men. She walked over to where Ginny stood leaning against a tree watching Harry, Hermione, and Ron talking. Ginny had a pensive expression on her face as Leila approached her.

"They're up to something," Ginny commented.

"When aren't they up to something?" Leila sighed folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the tree too. "I for one just hope I can be left out of whatever it is."

"You make it sound like you're coerced against your will."

"Usually, I am." Leila blew a puff of air to move some hair from her face. "Is it too much to ask for a normal year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Ginny's gentle laughter made Leila smile. Mrs Weasley then called for everyone to come inside from the back door. Leila groaned, but Ginny looped her arm through Leila's and together they walked toward the Burrow. Harry, Hermione, and Ron seemed to walk at a much slower pace behind them. Leila looked back at them, but Ginny tugged on her arm. "C'mon. Maybe Fred and George are here."

Leila and Ginny walked in the house just as George appeared in the fireplace. The Potter girl looked around the room for Fred, but he came moments after George, who had barely gotten out of the way. Leila couldn't help but laugh as Fred practically flew out of the fireplace, knocking into George. Fred made eye contact with her and winked her direction before standing up straight. It it wasn't for Fred, Leila wasn't sure she would have made it through last year.

 _ **~*~5th year Flashback~*~**_

 _Leila wrapped her Slytherin scarf tightly around her neck and adjusted her knit hat as she stepped out of the castle. She had walked been on a walk with Theo and Daphne, but the excursion had turned into a gathering for all the Slytherins in her year. Malfoy was being unbearable as usual; but she didn't really have the desire to argue with him. Instead, she had wandered off on her on. Theo had moved to follow her; but she told him that she really needed some time to think. Of course, that was mostly a lie. She had more than enough time to think these days._

 _Trekking through freshly fallen snow, Leila walked off the beaten path, not entirely sure where she was walking. Eventually, she found herself near the Black Lake. After dusting off a fallen log, she sat down and stared out at the lake with her head in her hands. She was cold, but she was too stubborn to do anything about it. Rubbing at her arms with her mittens, she was suddenly smacked in the back of the head with a snowball. Leila's head turned quickly to look behind her, while one mittened hand inched toward the place she had been hit. "Malfoy, if that's you-I swear to Merlin that I'm going to…"_

" _Hold up, it's just me," Fred Weasley said coming into view with his hands raised in self-defence. "Although, I do have to admit I'm curious what you would have done to me if I was Malfoy."_

" _You don't want to know." With that Leila turned back around and rested her head on her hands once again, not really wanting to converse with Fred any longer. He obviously didn't take the hint because he slowly crept up and sat down beside her. Leila looked over at him, her curls accidentally sliding into her mouth. She spit them out before looking out at the lake again._

" _I saw you walk away from the other Slytherins." Leila simply nodded her head once to acknowledge him. Fred looked at her for a few moments before attempting to start a conversation again. "Where were you today? We missed you."_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _The D.A.-thought you'd be there. Although, you weren't at the first meeting either. Come to think of it, none of us really see you around anymore at all."_

" _What's the D.A.?"_

" _Harry hasn't told you?" Leila simply shook her head no and sighed. "It stands for Dumbledore's Army. We get together to practice spells since Umbridge won't let us, especially with You-Know-Who at large again."_

" _It's not like they'll help against him. Cedric knew them and he's dead. I knew some of them and I almost died. Doesn't really seem to be a point to any of it."_

" _Leila, we're doing this because of Cedric. Even Cho's managed to come."_

" _Well, I'm not Cho." Leila angrily stood up and started to stomp away from Fred; but he quickly caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm, causing her to jerk back a bit. "Let go of me." Fred released his hand from her arm and apologized._

" _We miss you, Leila. Just say you'll come to the next meeting." Leila thought about it for a moment before she shook her head no. "Why not?"_

" _Because I don't want to be surrounded by people who feel sorry for me. I see the way they look at me in the corridors. The way they whisper about me behind my back."_

 _Fred mulled this over for a second. "Then what about me?"_

" _What about you?"_

" _Meet up with me-just me. I really have missed you, Leila. We've been friends for years and it feels like you've been avoiding me."_

" _I've been avoiding everyone, honestly." Fred chuckled at her comment and then motioned his with hands for her to answer his proposition. She groaned, "Fine. Library after dinner tomorrow and if you bring anyone with you, I'll do to you what I was going to do to Malfoy."_

 _ **~*~ End Flashback~*~**_

Leila sighed. Slowly, she had started meeting with Fred last year and he eventually convinced her to join Dumbledore's Army. She had to admit, she was devastated when he and George left Hogwarts last year; but she must have gotten over it because she didn't feel any anger toward them. After slapping Bill on the back, Fred walked over to where Leila stood and hugged her. "Happy birthday," Fred said as he held her a little longer than necessary. She thanked him and then gently pushed away from him.

"How's the business?" Leila questioned looking up at him. Being only an inch over five feet tall, Fred had over a foot of height on her and towered over her.

"It's going great." Fred shoved his hands in his pants pockets and nodded his head several times. "You really should come by and see it. I mean you and Harry our are investors."

"Yeah, almost forgot about that."

"I never do. If it weren't for you...and Harry, Georgie and I wouldn't be where we are today. It meant and still means a lot to me...and George."

"Glad to have been some help." Leila tugged at the collar of her shirt as George approached them.

"What's going on here?" George asked somewhat suggestively, folding his arms over his chest and looking between Leila and Fred.

Leila rolled her eyes before responding sarcastically."It's called talking. All the kids are doing it these days."

George put a hand to his heart. "I don't know whether to be proud or hurt by your remark."

"Both would probably be best." Fred and George both chuckled before Ginny practically begged the three of them to join the conversation she was having with Remus, Bill, and Fleur. From Ginny's expression it was obvious that she was desperate.

The two groups melded as Fred walked over and wrapped an arm around Fleur as Remus asked the twins about the business. Fleur awkwardly shifted under Fred's arm before looking to Bill with pleading eyes. The eldest Weasley son chuckled slightly and then pulled Fleur away from his brother before teasingly telling Fred, "Get your own fiancee."

"What'd you say Leila?" Fred said sliding over and wrapping his arm around her. An embarrassed Leila groaned covered her face with one hand. "I'm waiting...they are watching us you know."

"Only in your dreams, Fred," Leila laughed before gently pushing him away. His face looked almost shocked and Leila couldn't tell if he was faking it or not as the others laughed.

"That's called rejection, Freddie," George howled.

"C'mon off it," Fred slightly huffed. "It was called a joke."

"Everyone here already knows you fancy Leila," Ginny retorted; but Leila was almost shocked by what Ginny said. Fred fancied her? She hadn't really given much thought to it before. Leila looked over at him as his face slightly flushed a light pink. She thought about him _that wa_ y for a moment before Ginny spoke up again. "Oops, did I just say that out loud?"

"She's too good for the likes of you, anyway," Bill laughed, slapping Fred on the back. Leila could have sworn she heard Fred mutter something along the lines of _that's what you think_ ; but she couldn't know for sure because at that moment Mister Weasley walked through the door and greeted them all. Mrs Weasley then announced it was time for everyone to find their seats and Mister Weasley took his spot at the head of the long table.

Leila started to walk toward the table, when Fred fell into place beside her and whispered, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there."

"Fred, I learned not to take you too seriously a long time ago," Leila said lightly with a smile. She watched to see a slight drop in his expression, but when he realized she was teasing him his smile brightened again.

Leila sat beside Harry at the table and Fred took the spot on her other side. Dinner started out as a joyous occasion, but by the time the cake was served the conversation had turned to the recent attacks. Leila shifted uncomfortably just thinking about it as Remus furthered the conversation. "There have been another couple of dementor attacks and they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it and well, frankly, I'm surprised He stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius' brother, Regulus, only a managed a few days as far as I can remember."

Remus took a generous bite out of his cake as Mrs Weasley tried to change the conversation away from the Dark times; but not having regular gathering anymore, Bill continued, "Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?"

Harry nudged Leila. "Leils, wasn't he the guy who-"

"Gave us free ice creams? Yeah," Leila responded. "I don't know that we would have survived the summer before third year without him. Especially since _somebody_ couldn't control himself."

Harry rolled his eyes at his sister, but he didn't verbally respond because Fred started in on the conversation. "Sounds like good ol' Florean. He helped Georgie and I out a time or two when we first got to Diagon Alley. Such a shame it is."

"What happened to him?"

"Dragged off by the look of his place," Bill answered before shoveling a bite of cake into his mouth. "The place looks to be in ruins, it's despicable, it is."

"Why'd they take him?" Ron questioned.

Bill opened his mouth to speak, but Mrs Weasley shot him a pointed glare. "Mum, they have a right to know. They're almost of age."

"Not for another year yet," Mrs Weasley stated before standing up and walking over to the counter. "How about another slice of cake for everyone?" No one had even finished their first slice yet, but she started cutting anyway.

With Mrs Weasley's back to the table, Bill took one glance over at his mother before turning to Ron. "Why'd they take him? Who knows. He must have upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean. Right to the very end."

"You mean he's…" Harry let his sentence trail.

"Seems most likely," Remus responded. "That or Voldemort's holding him for information. Either way, not a good end."

"Speaking of Diagon Alley shop owners, looks like Ollivander's gone too," Mr Weasley added.

"As is most of the Alley. With Florean and Ollivander gone, many are closing up shop," George said. "I think it's rubbish. I'm not going to be bullied into the same."

"But George, Ollivander disappeared to nowhere. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped. Although, I have my suspicions of the latter."

"But everyone got their wands from Ollivanders," Hermione exclaimed. "What will they do now?"

"They'll have to make do with other wandmakers," Remus sighed, his tone very sounding very somber. "Ollivander was the best in the business and if the other side has him, it's not good for us."

Leila let the conversation sink in. So many people were missing or worse...and yet she knew in her heart that things were only going to continue to spiral downward. She hoped they wouldn't, but with Voldemort on the rise once again and out in the open, it almost seemed inevitable and the thought terrified her. He had already taken so much from her and her heart hurt to know that he was going to do it again.

There seemed to be an awkward silence that came over the group for quite some time. Even the gift opening wasn't much of a joyous occasion and not too long after the last present was open, Remus announced that it was time for him to leave. Leila hated to see him go, but she knew that he probably had Order business to attend to. So, Harry and Leila walked outside with him. The former professor put his travelling cloak on while Harry stood there awkwardly with his hands in his jeans pockets and Leila with her arms folded across her chest. An eerie sense came over them as they were outside. Leila curiously looked up to the moon, mentally trying to calculate how many days Remus had until the full moon.

Remus sighed, "Things are getting bad out there. Just like last time. I need you both to promise that you'll look after each other." Both twins agreed. "And Leila, don't get in too much trouble this year."

"What? Me? I'm not _that_ much of a troublemaker," Leila said defensively only to notice a small smile on her godfather's face.

"You seem to forget that I taught you for a year." With a roll of her eyes, she promised him that she would _try_ to be good...as long as Harry didn't drag her into anything. But Remus knew that Leila could get in just as much trouble on her own. He sighed once more. "I don't know when I'll see you two again; so take care."

Leila reached up and hugged her godfather. She hated saying goodbye to him. What if it was the last goodbye and she didn't even know it? Tears stung at her eyes, but she ignored them as she muttered her goodbye and then released him. Harry shook Remus' hand and a moment later, Remus was gone.

Harry and Leila looked to each other solemnly and sighed. He wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder before leading her back toward the house. Without saying anything, Leila knew she was thinking the same thing as her brother-Remus' ominous warning: just like last time. Adults always said those who weren't around for the First War could never imagine the horrors that were face which made Leila's stomach churn. How much worse could it possibly get?

When the Potter twins walked back inside the safe confines of the Burrow, they found Fred and George proudly talking about their joke shop. "You're going to come, when you lot visit Diagon Alley, right?" Fred asked Leila as she sat beside him once again while Harry walked over to talk with Bill.

"If I'm allowed to," Leila sighed.

"Why wouldn't we allow you?" George asked.

"Not you two. Just after everything you've said tonight, it makes me wonder if we'll even be allowed to go to Diagon Alley."

"You had better bloody-well be allowed to come see us," Fred said with a slam of his fist. "Or we'll come get you ourselves, won't we Georgie?"

" _We_ will?" George asked with a slight smirk on his face.

Fred reached over and gently smacked his face. "Yes _we_ will. We'll get her...and the rest of the lot." George shook his head and reached across the table and smacked Fred back in the face before he stood up and walked over to bother Ron. This left Leila alone with Fred. She shifted nervously for a moment. "Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked her.

"I-I…" Leila then yawned and blinked slowly before yawning again. Leila chuckled at herself.

"You're tired. Maybe another time then?" Fred offered. Leila nodded her head and yawned again, causing Fred to yawn and then laugh. He then hugged her. "Let me know when you lot are coming to Diagon Alley."

She agreed and then walked toward the stairs. Leila said her goodnights before heading upstairs. Fred watched her as she walked up the stairs and a few steps up she turned back to see him doing it. He awkwardly waved at her and she shook her head before continuing her ascent. Quickly changing into her pyjamas, Leila crawled into bed, and snuggled herself under her blanket before drifting off into a deep sleep. A sleep plagued by her recurring nightmare that she still couldn't interpret what it meant. All Leila knew was that it had to mean change was on the horizon.

* * *

 **Author's note: My Leila muse is back! Here's the next chapter of the rewrite. I hope you enjoyed it! Especially, my old readers who came back for the new flashbacks.**


	5. Diagon Alley

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Diagon Alley**

The next morning, Leila found herself downstairs eating a bowl of porridge, mindlessly watching the outside world. The sun seemed to be trying to breakout from behind the clouds that threatened to trap it. In the distance, Leila could see a little black dot flying through the air, growing closer toward the Burrow. Leila squinted her eyes at the dots until it came into focus in the shape of an owl. As Leila slurped down a spoonful of porridge, Mrs Weasley walked over to the window and retrieved the envelopes. Without even having to ask, Leila correctly concluded that the envelopes were for their Hogwarts letters. But it wasn't that hard to figure out seeing as their OWL results had already come-the letters were the only logical choice.

Mrs Weasley glanced with a furrowed brow at the letters for a moment before she forced a smile on her face and walked over to the table. She then proceeded to hand the letters to their rightful owners. One for Harry. One for Ginny. One for Hermione. One for Ron. And one for Leila. Leila accepted her letter from Mrs Weasley before placing it on the table beside her food. She was the only one who didn't immediately tear open her letter. Instead, she continued to eat until she saw her brother sitting across the table from her holding something in his hands. It was a Gryffindor Quidditch captain badge. Leila's hand immediately stretched forward and stole it from her brother. Although, before she could get a good look at it, she accidentally dropped the badge in her porridge.

"Oops," Leila whispered as she fished Harry's badge from her bowl. Harry groaned her name as he watched the badge slip through her fingers on her first attempt. When she finally managed to get the badge out, she wiped it against her shirt before examining it. "Well, look at that. We have us a Quidditch captain."

"It's not that big of a deal," Harry responded before holding his palm out across the table for Leila to drop the badge into. Leila dropped the badge back into his hands and Harry set the badge on the table.

"But it _is_ a big deal, Harry! That badge gives you equal status with the prefects." Hermione stated with a grin. "You can even use our special bathroom now and everything!"

"Goodness, Granger, I've never seen someone so excited about a bathroom before. He can use a bathroom, what a true honor." Leila placed a hand over her heart acting like she was touched before she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, it's nothing to get excited about. Besides, it's not like he hasn't been in there before."

"I don't recall you complaining last year when you were named Slytherin's new prefect." Granger raised an eyebrow in Leila's direction. "In fact, I distinctly recall you being somewhat pleased."

"It wasn't being a prefect that pleased me last year. It was the fact that I could hold it over Parkinson's head and that was a low blow, Granger. You know I had a rough go at things last year and the only thing that brought joy from it was taunting Parkinson. It had nothing to do with the bloody bathroom." By this point, Leila was breathing rather heavily. She honestly didn't know why she had been named prefect last year. Granted, she was toward the top of the class, but she had been a mess last year. It didn't really make sense, especially since Harry hadn't been named a prefect. Leila sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, releasing some of her anger. "Besides, the job came with one huge disadvantage that neither you nor Ron had to deal with."

"What was that?" Ginny questioned.

"Malfoy." Leila shuddered at his name causing Ginny to chuckle. "He was bloody annoying."

"Well, at least Harry won't feel left out now," Hermione stated, clearly ignoring Leila's comments about Malfoy.

Leila narrowed her eyes at Granger and was on the verge of making a retort when Ron spoke up first, holding onto Harry's badge. "I remember when Charlie wore one of these." Ron moved the badge through his fingers before he looked to Leila. "Hang on, Leila do you have one?"

"No," Leila said shaking her head.

"You haven't even opened your letter." Ron reached across the table for Leila's envelope but Leila slammed her hand down on it. "Well aren't you at least going to look?"

"Snape may like me more than you lot; but I'm pretty sure he would choose death before making me Slytherin's Quidditch captain."

"He made you prefect."

"Dumbledore assigns prefects and heads, Ron," Granger corrected.

"That's right-I knew that. Hey Leila, if you're not going to look, can I?" Leila sighed at slid her envelope across the table toward Ron. He opened the envelope and two pieces of parchment fell out: the book supply list and a note reminding her of the prefects meeting. The Potter girl gave Ron an _I told you so_ look before he turned back toward Harry. "Anyway, Harry, this is so cool. You're my Captain-if you let me back on the team, I suppose. Ha. Ha."

By the time Ron was finished, his face was a little pink as he rubbed his hair on the back of his head. Leila reached across the table and pulled her letters back toward her side of the table. As Leila looked over her supply list, Mrs Weasley walked back over to the table and examined Ginny and Ron's lists pensively. Normally getting one's Hogwarts lists was a more joyous occasion, but with things changing it was obvious that parents were even questioning sending their children back, despite the fact that Hogwarts was probably one of the safest places in the Wizarding World.

"Well, I don't suppose we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer now that you've got these," Mrs Weasley said with a sigh. A smile began to spread over Ron's face before his mother continued speaking. "We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. I will not go without him."

"Mum, d'you honestly think You-Know-Who's going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?" Ron groaned. "Even he isn't that stupid."

"Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they? If you think your safety's a laughing matter then you can stay behind and I'll get your things myself." Ron made a comment about wanting to see Fred and George's joke shop without thinking it through. He froze a bit at his mother's intense stare. "Then you best buck up your ideals, young man, before I decide you're too immature to come along with us! And the same goes for Hogwarts as well!"

Mrs Weasley huffed a bit before she reached for a basket of laundry and walked out of the room. Her footsteps grew fainter as she began to ascend the stairs. The teenagers listened quietly until they heard a howl and then a hiss from a cat before Mrs Weasley groaned in frustration. "Poor Roman," Leila whispered wincing a bit.

"Blimey, can't even make a joke around here anymore," Ron groaned as he rolled his eyes. "I swear she overreacts about everything these days."

"She has every right to be worried, Ron," Hermione sighed. "I agree with her concerns. It's dangerous out there and you know it. You really need to take this more seriously."

"I am taking this seriously, Hermione. But really, how likely is it that he'll show up at Flourish and Blotts?" Ron looked at Hermione, who didn't say anything and instead looked down at the table. "Exactly."

"If anything, he'd be creeping around Bourgin and Burkes," Leila added with a smirk toward Ron. "Creepy shop. Creepy bloke-erm-whatever he is." Ron broke out into a grin, as did Harry and Ginny, and even Granger, who was shaking her head, couldn't help but smile. Leila raised her eyebrows at Granger before she shook her head, grabbed her letters, and headed upstairs to check on Roman.

It seemed like forever before Saturday finally came, but finally it did. That morning as everyone seemed in much of a rush to get ready, Leila sat on the sofa with Roman curled up on her lap while she talked with Bill. The eldest Weasley sibling had taken it upon himself to take money out of Gringotts on behalf of the Potter twins. The way he explained things, it was easier for him to withdraw the money than it would be for them to wait in line at Gringotts. Apparently, the goblins had upped the bank's security so extensively that it took most people several hours to retrieve some gold from their vaults. Leila was glad that Bill worked at Gringotts, so that she wouldn't have to wait there for hours in a place she wasn't entirely sure she liked.

A car horn honked from outside. Leila turned to look out the window as Roman jumped off her lap. It was the car the Ministry of Magic had sent to get them to the Leaky Cauldron. She wished they could just use the Floo Network or side-along Apparate to Diagon Alley; but the Ministry would probably throw a fit. Bill took his leave and Flooed to work before the small army piled into the special Ministry car. Leila crawled into the back, with Harry, Hermione, and Ron; while poor Ginny got stuck in the front sitting between her parents.

When they finally approached the Muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron, the group was greeted with even more protection. Leila groaned at the fact of being stuck with Aurors all day. Granted, she knew that they were only there for hers and Harry's protection, but still. "This is embarrassing," Leila groaned. "Being stuck with a bunch of Aurors all day."

"It's for your own protection," Hermione retorted.

"Really? Your intelligence astounds me, Granger. I never could have worked that one out for myself."

"Leila," Harry groaned before he opened the car door while his sister rolled her eyes at him. Leila stayed behind the car for a moment with her arms folded across her chest. She knew she was acting childish, but she didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of Aurors all day. Harry stuck his head back in the car to see his sister moping. "Oh, come off it, it's only Hagrid outside. Can't really be that bad."

"Do you remember how many times we've almost died under Hagrid's watch?" Leila retorted raising an eyebrow at her brother, while secretly she was rather thankful it was Hagrid.

"I thought you liked Hagrid."

"I do. I do. I'm just saying."

"You're grumpy, that's what you are."

"That's what being stuck with Granger for the summer does to me." Leila gave her brother a knowing look with her eyes narrowed before she shooed him away so that she could climb out of the car. Harry simply shook his head and sighed in frustration at his sister's antics as he stepped out of the way for her to get out.

"Leila, good ter see yeh," Hagrid announced as he walked over and hugged the petite girl. A small smile appeared on her face as she tried to return the hug. Hagrid was the first person from the Wizarding World that she had knowingly met. When he told her that she was a witch, she had retorted that a witch wasn't something nice to call someone; but he had turned out to be right. She was a pretty damn impressive witch-probably would have been top of the class if it wasn't for know-it-all Granger. "How're yeh, doing?"

"Could be better," Leila muttered with a glance at Granger, but Harry nudged her in the ribs with his elbow. She groaned and attempted to elbow her brother back before speaking once more "I'm doing well, thanks for asking."

"I suppose you lot are anxious to be off then. Got a lot to get done today I presume."Mrs Weasley then began to rattle off all the shops they needed to visit and all the supplies they needed to buy. "We best be off then. Good thing Dumbledore convinced the Ministry to let me do the job. Yeh'd never get through here with a pack of Aurors."

Leila followed behind the group, still a safe distance as they continued talking about things. At the Burrow, she didn't mind being with them; but sometimes in public, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to act with them. She knew that everyone knew she was friends with them, but she also knew that she was looked down upon by her own House for befriending blood-traitors. She knew that she couldn't please everyone, but that didn't stop her from trying. Feeling a bit chilly, Leila zipped her grey jumper over her Slytherin t-shirt right before they walked into the Leaky Cauldron. The place seemed bare, with few customers inside; almost the opposite of every other time she had been in the place. Apparently, Voldemort being back was really beginning to take it's toll on things.

Even Diagon Alley seemed to have lost its luster. As she looked around, Leila couldn't help but remember the first time she had walked into Diagon Alley for the first time as an eleven year old. The first time it had literally seemed, for lack of a better word, magical. She remembered she called it beautiful, but those were not the words she would use to describe the state of Diagon Alley now. Diagon Alley looked run-down and disheveled-almost as if it had lost its magic. It no longer held the luster she remembered as an eleven year old. Then again, things always seemed so much better as a child; but with half the alley closed up, the sparkle was definitely gone. Not really paying attention to her surroundings, Leila walked straight into someone with fair colored hair.

"Potter."

"Greengrass." Leila couldn't help but smile as Daphne tried her best Malfoy impression; but even Daphne couldn't manage to hold her stern expression for long. The blonde girl chuckled before she wrapped her arms around Leila. "Oh, I've missed you."

"It's good to see you, Leila," Daphne said with a gentle smile as she released her friend. Daphne was one of the few Slytherin girls in her year that she was actually friends with. The other girls, specifically Parkinson, often poked fun at her; but Daphne didn't take pleasure in that activity. Daphne Greengrass was probably her closest friend and confidant, since her first day at Hogwarts.

 _ **~*~ Flashback to 1st year~*~**_

 _Leila nodded her head and wiped at her eyes were some tears threatened to fall. She didn't want the others to see her cry. That would be the last bloody impression she would like to make on all these new people. Leila waved to her brother as he walked away from her. He waved back before running over to Ron who looked at Leila for a moment before they walked away. Leila looked out the door to see if Gemma Farley and the rest of the Slytherins were anywhere in sight; but she couldn't spot a single one of them. Uh-oh, what if Draco was right? What if she did get them into trouble because she got lost? She was about to start to panic; when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to find the girl who had saved her from Draco earlier standing behind her._

 _"Gemma already left with the others," the blonde girl said. "So, I talked to my cousin Ursula, she's a fifth year. She said that she'd take us to the Slytherin dungeon."_

 _"Why are we going to the dungeon?" Leila asked._

 _"Because that's where we live, silly."_

 _"Oh, right. Erm—thanks. You're Daphne, right? I'm-"_

 _"You're Leila Potter. Everyone knows about you and your brother. Most people talk more about your brother…except for Malfoy that is."_

 _"So, I've heard," Leila groaned and threw her head back. "By the way, thanks for saving me from him. I owe you."_

 _"Draco's really not so bad once you get to know him."_

 _"Well, I don't want to get to know him."_

 _"That may be; but he wants to get to know you." Daphne smirked in Leila's direction._

 _"He's been nothing but a prat."_

 _"In his defence, he didn't know who you were at first."_

 _"All right ickle firsties, let's go," a tall blonde girl said as she came up to them._

 _"That's my cousin," Daphne whispered._

 _"Looks better than my cousin," Leila muttered._

 _"This is Leila Potter," Daphne introduced._

 _"I'm Ursula Flint," the older girl said. "Follow me."_

 _Daphne and Leila followed after Ursula and her friend through the corridors and down many flights of stairs until they finally reached what was considered the dungeon. Ursula walked fast; apparently she wanted to get to wherever they were going quickly. Suddenly, the two girls came to a stop at a stone wall. Ursula turned toward them. She ran her hand through her ponytail once before she spoke to the two first year girls._

 _"Take a good look of where you're at," Ursula said. "This is how we get into Slytherin dungeon. Saying the password to this wall will give you entrance. You must never reveal to anyone where this is or the password. Understood?"_

 _Both Leila and Daphne nodded their heads."Passwords change every fortnight and Professor Snape will post the new one on the board inside. So make sure you keep an eye on it, because it's your responsibility to know the password. I don't want to be looking after you."_

 _"I think we get it," Daphne groaned. "Can we just know the password already?"_

 _"Wanglewort."_

 _Suddenly, a passageway appeared on the stone wall. Leila and Daphne looked to each other with surprise clearly written over both girls' faces. Ursula shook her head before she and her friend started to walk down the passageway. Leila and Daphne followed quickly after them. The passageway was one long staircase with stone walls on both sides of the stairs with eerie lighting from the torches. As they walked down the stairs, the voices seemed to echo louder in the passageway. They were almost to the bottom of the stairs when Leila spotted a stone archway on the left. Leila and Daphne both stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked through the archway into what was going to be their common room. Both of their mouths were hanging open which caused Ursula to chuckle. "This is where we normally spend our free time."_

 _Leila examined the room, which was full of people, a little further. The ceilings were high, quite unexpected for what she had picture to be a dungeon. There were leather sofas and chairs scattered around the room, a large fireplace, a long business-like table with leather chairs, dark wood cupboards and bookcases. But what intrigued Leila the most were the windows which seemed to give an eerie glow to the room. They couldn't see the night's sky, but she wasn't exactly sure what the windows looked out upon. Ursula motioned for them to follow her further into the common room, which Daphne and Leila obliged. Leila could feel people's eyes on her and hushed tones of conversation._

 _"They're talking about me, aren't they?" Leila whispered._

 _"Can't really blame them, no one really expected_ _you_ _to be in Slytherin," Daphne said._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

"What?" Daphne questioned. Leila simply chuckled and told her that it was nothing. With a shrug of her shoulders, Daphne looped her arm through Leila's, "So where are you lot headed?"

"Dunno," Leila said also shrugging her shoulders. "We only got here. I assume we're going to all the usual places though."

"By we, I assume you're here with the Weasleys, Granger, and your brother."

"And Hagrid, but I think you already figured that out for yourself. Harry and I are at the Burrow for the summer."

"So that's why you've hardly been writing." Daphne smirked at her to which Leila responded by rolling her eyes.

"They're good people, Daphne."

"They are a step up from your Muggle relatives, I suppose." Leila nodded her head. Daphne knew how terrible the Dursleys could be. Once Daphne had gotten so worried about her, that she had gotten her father and the Ministry involved. "Granger's glaring at us."

Leila looked over at her to see that Daphne was indeed telling the truth. She then immaturely stuck her tongue out at Granger before releasing her arm from Daphne's. "I should probably get going." Mrs Weasley then turned and called for Leila to come along. Leila nodded her head before looking to Daphne and raising her eyebrows. "See?"

"I don't see why you can't just come with me."

"I'm not sure that I can. I mean, we had to get extra protection just to be allowed to come to Diagon Alley in the first place. The Ministry would probably have a fit if I ditched their protection."

"Father works for the Ministry, you know." Daphne pointed to her father, who was dressed in dark navy blue wizarding robes. He waved at his daughter and then slowly started to walk over to his daughter. Greengrasses were another one of those prominent pureblood families that been around for centuries. To be honest, Leila didn't really know Daphne's parents all that well. She had met them on occasion and Daphne's little sister, Astoria was a few years below them. Other than that, the only Greengrass she was partial to was Daphne. "I'm sure Father will be able to sort this all out."

"Daphne, I'll be fine."

"I'll not have my best friend off being miserable with Hermione Granger when I could have prevented it." Daphne explained the situation to her father. He looked somewhat hesitant to give into his daughter's request, but he suggested that they go talk with the Weasleys.

The Slytherin trio walked toward the Weasleys and Mr Greengrass extended his hand for Mr Weasley to shake. From the looks of things, Mr Greengrass and Mr Weasley had a much friendlier work relationship than Mr Weasley had with Mr Malfoy. Leila couldn't help but smirk at the memory of when Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy had gotten into a little skirmish a few years before. The two men made small talk for a moment, before they got down to business. Mr Weasley looked at Leila hesitantly after the request, to which Mrs Weasley flat-out refused. Leila tried her best not to get her hopes up, but she really did want to spend time with her friend. Mr Weasley made eye contact with Leila and sighed before asking to speak with her for a few minutes. He gently ushered Leila away from the group. Leila watched as he opened his mouth several times to speak, before quickly closing it. It was obvious he was trying to delicately handle the situation.

"Leila, I must admit that I'm not too sure about this," Mr Weasley finally said.

"I can understand that," Leila sighed.

"But I also know that Daphne Greengrass happens to be a friend of yours." Leila nodded her head to which Mr Weasley responded by pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's not her I'm worried about. It's not even Evander that worries me. But I don't for one moment trust Camille-err, Mrs Greengrass."

"Why not?"

"Camille's a Rosier. As I'm sure you very well know, they sided with You-Know-Who and have been outed as Death Eaters."

"Daphne's not a Death Eater. What would Voldemort want with teenagers anyway?"

"Don't say this name." Leila muttered an apology as Mr Weasley rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not saying she is, Leila; but I worry about you, you know. You might not me my child by blood, but you're as good as. I just don't want you to get hurt." Arthur looked at Leila with a fatherly expression which caused her to sigh. Despite not wanting to, Leila understood where he was coming from. "Although, I don't see any harm in allowing you to spend a couple hours with them as long as you don't leave the alley and meet us back at Fred and George's joke shop in precisely two hours. If you are so much as one minute late, you will not only be in big trouble, I will be forced to involve the Ministry."

Leila grinned as she enveloped Mr Weasley in a hug. "Thank you, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Molly's going to throw a fit when she finds out." Leila chuckled before Arthur released her from the hug and patted her on the cheek. "Just promise me you won't go looking for trouble."

"I only get into trouble when I'm with those three." Leila pointed to Harry, Ron, and Granger before Mr Weasley laughed and ruffled her hair. "What? I'm being completely serious here."

Mr Weasley and Leila walked back toward the group. As he explained the plan to Mr Greengrass, it was obvious that Mrs Weasley was not pleased about the arrangement. The Weasley matriarch was not as vocal as she could have been, but it was clear from her stance, that she was not happy. Thankfully, she didn't stop them as Leila walked away with Daphne in the direction of Flourish and Blotts. Although, she couldn't help but overhear Mrs Weasley state that they should go to Flourish and Blotts too. Leila sighed, she knew that Mrs Weasley was just trying to look out for her, but she was pretty sure that the woman sometimes forgot that she had friends outside of them.

The bell chimed as Leila opened the door into Flourish and Blotts. Daphne and Mr Greengrass followed her inside. Daphne's father told the girls to go find their books while he went and stood in the long line to the cash register. "Don't forget Astoria's books," Mr Greengrass called. Daphne nodded her head in response before she motioned for Leila to follow her upstairs.

Once they were upstairs, Daphne rolled her eyes and started to complain, "I don't see why I should have to be punished to get Astoria's books when I haven't done anything wrong. He can hardly expect two of us to carry the required books for three people."

"Where is Astoria?" Leila questioned looking around the bookstore. Mothers seemed to be keeping their children closer to them than normal, not wanting them to wander too far.

"She's with Mother and Twilfitt and Tattings because she practically begged for new dress robes."

"You didn't want any?" Leila leaned against the railing and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley standing downstairs. She had gotten to know him a bit better when she was in the D.A. last year. She waved at him, but since his arms were full he only nodded his head back at her. At least he wasn't scared of her anymore.

"Leila are you listening to me?" Leila muttered an apology before turning to face Daphne again. "Like I was saying, it's not that I didn't want any. I just didn't want to stand around being prodded with measurements and pins. Astoria has more patience for that sort of thing than I do." Daphne sighed before she reached for a copy of _Confronting the Faceless_ and handed it to Leila before grabbing a copy for herself. "You're lucky you don't have a little sister to deal with."

"No, but I do have a Granger to deal with-I think I have it worse." Leila reached for the title _Flesh-Eating Trees of the World_. She grabbed two copies and placed one on her pile of books and one on Daphne's.

"Agreed. Let's go give these books to Father. He can hold them while he's waiting." Leila opened her mouth to object, but Daphne but her hand over Leila's mouth. "It's not like he has anything better to do."

Daphne didn't usually act like this, but Leila knew that Daphne was just trying to get her parents' attention. Being away at Hogwarts didn't give one much time to spend with their parents, not that Leila knew much about that; but Leila did know that Daphne fought with Astoria for their parents' affection quite frequently when they were home. Leila sighed and followed Daphne downstairs. They handed the books to Daphne's father, "Which books are Astoria's?"

"We're getting there," Daphne said with a roll of her eyes before they walked away. "Astoria this-Astoria that-Astoria should get her own bloody books."

"Why doesn't Astoria just use your old books? Leila questioned. "I mean, it's what I would have done if Harry and I weren't in the same year. It's what the Weasleys do."

"I think you just answered your own question." Daphne began looking through the section of _Standard Book of Spells_ to find the right volume.

"You know," Leila leaned against the bookshelf and looked at Daphne. "If you're really that annoyed with Astoria, we could always get her used copies of her books and say that was all they had."

Daphne smirked. "You're a genius, you know that?" The blonde reached for a gently used copy of _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_ by Miranda Goshawk before she grabbed a new copy of the _Grade 6_ text. Leila reached for the copy beside the one Daphne took and set it in her arms, hugging it closely to her body as they continued to walk through the aisles.

The girls had just grabbed their copies of _Advanced Potion Making_ when two younger boys poked their heads around the end of the bookcase and pointed. The boys quickly ducked when the girls turned their direction. Leila sighed, "At least with Harry the scar's a dead giveaway. People are never sure when they meet me. At first I thought I had it better, but now I almost find it more annoying."

The boys looked around the shelf again to find Daphne looking straight at them. They looked slightly petrified as the blonde girl motioned them forward with her finger before bending down to talk to them. "I'd be careful if I were you. This is The-Girl-Who-Lived after all and if she can kill off one of the most powerful wizards in history, just imagine what she can do to you."

The two boys looked at Leila with wide eyes. Leila couldn't resist herself-she lunged her hands forward and whispered, "Boo!" The two boys ran screaming from the aisle as Daphne and Leila collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles. "That was mean," Leila said between breaths.

"You went along with it." Daphne wheezed as she reached for her side which was starting to ache.

"Yeah, but you know the whole _Girl-Who-Lived_ thing is just a rumour. I'm nothing special compared to _The Chosen One._ "

"You survived didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Just because you don't have a bloody scar doesn't mean you're not special. You lived, so you're _The Girl Who Lived_ in my book. Besides, you're far more interesting than Scarhead anyway. I don't understand why people make such a fuss about him when there's you."

"And that's why we're friends." Leila gently smiled at Daphne, but in the corner of her eye she could see the boys talking to a woman who Leila assumed was their mother. "And we might want to hurry up with our book and go find your father before those two come back with their mother."

Daphne and Leila finished gathering the books needed for themselves and Astoria before they joined Evander Greengrass who was now standing near the front of the line. "Almost thought I was going to have come looking for you two," Mr Greengrass said with a slight smile. The man wasn't nearly as stiff and serious as Leila had always imagined him to be; but he also wasn't as warm and friendly as Mr Weasley was either.

When all the books had been paid for, they left Flourish and Blotts and headed to Potage's Cauldron Shop. Leila was in desperate need of a new cauldron after Neville had accidentally ruined hers toward the end of last school year. It was quite embarrassing having to borrow a cauldron from Snape for the remainder of the school year; but it also was embarrassing for Neville too because Snape always made sure to rub it in whenever Leila had to grab a cauldron. She had felt bad for Neville, but even Leila knew better than to talk back to Snape, something Harry still hadn't managed to learn yet.

With a new cauldron in tow, Leila and the two Greengrasses walked down the alley to Twilfitt and Tattings. Leila had to admit that she hadn't been to Twilfitt and Tattings before, having much preferred to go to Madam Malkins; so she followed Daphne inside to not cause a big scene. It was obvious why she hadn't been here before-everything inside seemed geared toward the upper crust of the Wizarding society. This was definitely a store that old money Wizarding families could afford but not so much the Weasleys. Leila flipped a price tag and nearly gasped at the cost; but Daphne caught her arm and dragged her to the center of the room where Astoria was being fitted in light purple dress robes. Astoria had dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She looked rather regal in the massive pile of dress robes piled on top of her.

"What d'you think?" Astoria asked with a grin as she spun for Daphne. "I can't decide between the purple or the pink."

"Don't ask me," Evander Greengrass said sitting down on a rather plush chair beside his stern-looking wife.

"Why don't we try the pink ones once again," Camille Greengrass said to the seamstress who nodded her head vigorously.

"Mother, you remember, Leila?" Daphne said gently nudging Leila forward.

"Hi, Mrs Greengrass," Leila said before waving awkwardly and leaning back into Daphne.

"Yes, of course, Leila Potter isn't a person one forgets," Camille stated rather coldly. To be honest, Leila wasn't sure how to react other than to grab hold of Daphne's arm...just in case. But there was no need because the woman turned toward her daughter "Daphne, why don't you find something you like."

"Yes, Mother," Daphne responded. Leila didn't need to be dragged along this time, because Leila was already headed straight for a rack of dress robes before Daphne had even turned around. Daphne chuckled, "If I have to try something on-then so do you."

"No. I don't need dress robes," Leila retorted as she tried to lean against the rack, but instead fell backwards into a pile of dress robes. Leila landed flat on her arse surrounded in a sea of tulle and lace as Daphne laughed at her expense. "It's not funny, Daphne," Leila groaned from the floor trying to find her way out of the dress robes. She finally managed to find her way out and looked up at Daphne while on her hands and knees. "It's not."

"C'mon, even you have to admit it's even the least bit funny. You keep me around because I defend you against your brother and I keep you around for the comedic relief." Daphne smirked as she stretched her hand out for Leila to grab. Leila accepted the hand and was quickly on her feet once again, dusting herself off. Daphne quickly grabbed a set of dark blue dress robes from the rack that sparkled and thrust them into Leila's arms. "If I have to suffer through this, then so do you."

"I thought you were supposed to save me from suffering," Leila retorted as Daphne started pushing her back toward the changing room. "You saved me from Granger not more than an hour ago."

"That was different. Now c'mon you." Leila was about to complain when Daphne shoved her into a changing room. Leila flung forward into the small room as Daphne shut the door behind her. "No coming out without the dress robes on."

Leila groaned as she leaned against the door with a mess of dress robes in her arms. She didn't really want to try them on, but she knew that Daphne would come barging in on her if she didn't; so she quickly slipped into the garment. Surprisingly, the dress robes fit her perfectly. With a slight smile, Leila twirled in her dressing room causing the skirt of the robes to poof out when a knock came at her door. "Coming," Leila called. She opened the door, but Daphne wasn't standing outside her door. So, she poked her head out to see Daphne back over at a rack of dress robes. Leila hissed Daphne's name, but her friend told her to come out and see her. With a roll of her eyes, Leila walked out into the shop, holding onto her dress robes so that she didn't trip over them. She gently dropped the skirt back to the ground when she came to a stop in front of Daphne and placed her hands on her hips.

"They look good on you. You should get them," Daphne commented.

"They look like the ones I wore to the Yule Ball," Leila argued.

"Which means they're memorable."

"Memories I try to forget." Leila folded her arms across her chest but Daphne smirked at her. It was clear that Daphne didn't believe Leila's statement. "I'm being serious."

"You really think I'm going to believe _that_ a year and a half later?" Leila wanted to wipe the smirk off Daphne's face, instead she turned to look out the window they were standing in front of and the sight caused Leila to freeze momentarily. Outside, Draco Malfoy and his mother were walking straight toward the door of Twilfitt and Tattings. As Leila watched him walk closer, she couldn't help but remember the first time she met him.

 _ **~*~ Flashback to 1st year ~*~**_

 _A young Leila Potter wandered the Hogwarts Express, taking in her new surroundings as she made her way to the lavatory on the train. Everything about the Wizarding World seemed so grand to her, she was even slightly intrigued if the lavatory would be magical. She had been seated in a compartment with her brother and a boy named Ron Weasley. Leila had taken the opportunity to escape them both while they stuffed themselves full of Wizarding sweets. As she walked she looked out the train windows in awe. She had never been given much of an opportunity for sight-seeing with the Dursleys before, so everything about the Wizarding World impressed her. Seeing as she was paying more attention to the scenery than where she was walking, she unintentionally ran into someone coming from the opposite direction. She ran into the person so hard that it caused both of them to crash to the floor. Leila looked to the person who landed on the floor beside her on the ground. He had very blonde hair and a facial expression that easily showed his displeasure at the situation._

" _Bloody hell," the blonde boy growled. "Watch where you're going."_

" _I didn't do it on purpose," Leila retorted as she rubbed at her knee that the boy had kicked when he fell. "Besides, seeing as we're both on the floor, I take it you weren't watching where you were going either."_

" _Help me up, then."_

" _Excuse me?"_

" _You heard me or are you deaf?" To this statement, Leila rolled her eyes before she pushed herself off the floor and into a standing position. She gently brushed off any dirt that had gotten on her clothes and was about to walk away when the boy blocked her path with one of his legs. Leila stopped and looked at the boy in disbelief, but he seemed rather determined. "Are you going to help me up or not?"_

 _Leila looked straight into his icy eyes and wanted to tell him "or not" but that probably wouldn't be the best way to interact with one of her new classmates. So, not wanting to get kicked out of Hogwarts before she even got there, Leila responded with, "I didn't hear a_ _please_ _in there."_

" _Please." The way the boy scoffed the words made it easy enough to understand that he didn't actually mean what he was saying, which caused Leila to roll her eyes before she reached out her hand and muttered the words close enough. The blonde boy immediately took her hand to help himself up; but in doing so, he almost caused Leila to go crashing to the floor once again. Once he was up, Leila realized that she wasn't going to get a thank you, so she began walking toward the lavatory once again. She only made it a few steps before he called after her, "You're just going to walk away from me?"_

 _Leila turned and looked at him over her shoulder. "That was the plan."_

" _No one just walks away from me unless I tell them to. I'm a Malfoy."_

" _Congratulations on whatever that is; but I really need to use the loo." The boy mouthed the word "oh" which caused Leila to roll her eyes. "Can I go now?"_

 _Without waiting for his response, Leila walked away from him. She had passed two compartments full of students when she heard the sound of pounding footsteps behind her coming closer. Leila turned to see the boy running after her. Thankfully, the lavatory door was only a few feet away from her. She reached for the door; but his hand snaked around her arm causing her to jerk back. "What don't you understand about needing to use the loo?" Leila hissed._

" _You never told me your name," the boy said._

 _Leila removed her arm from Draco's hand with narrowed eyes. She quickly slipped inside the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Listening for the sound of footsteps, Leila opened the door when it sounded like they had grown fainter; only to her surprise, the blonde haired boy had tricked her and was still standing outside the lavatory. "Go away."_

" _Not until you tell me your name."_

" _Leila, Leila Potter." The boy's eyes widened before Leila quickly slammed the door closed on him, leaving him standing there in shock._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila caught her breath as she watched Draco open the door for his mother. It was then realization hit her. She needed to hide. Leila quickly sprinted past Daphne and dove into a rack of dress robes, once again hiding herself in a sea of tulle. Her relationship with Draco had changed since their first encounter. It had gone from him following her around like a lost lovesick puppy to him loathing the very ground she walked on and right now, Leila wasn't sure which Draco to expect.

"Why are you hiding?" Daphne whispered.

"In case you've forgotten, Malfoy and I didn't part on friendly terms," Leila whispered back.

"He's fancied you for as long as I can remember, I doubt he's still mad about that."

"And I happen to think otherwise. He didn't send me a birthday present this year."

"Maybe he forgot?" Leila gave Daphne a pointed look. "So, maybe he's a little upset. I'm sure he'll get over it once he sees you again."

"I'm the reason his father is in Azkaban-I highly doubt that's an easy thing to forgive..not that I want or need his forgiveness."

"Fine, but you can't hide in there."

"You wanna bet?"

Daphne reached in and grabbed hold of Leila's arms and pulled her out of the dress robes. Leila squealed as she practically flew out of the material and landed on the hardwood floor. Draco looked over to see what the commotion was, but quickly looked away once he noticed that it was Leila. But Leila didn't miss him trying to sneak a few peeks at her, which for some reason made her blush. It was probably just because she was frustrated. That had to be it. Leila had barely gotten back on her feet when Daphne dragged her over to where Malfoy was standing beside his mother who was chatting with Mrs Greengrass. Mrs Malfoy looked rather coldly at Leila who was clinging to Daphne so tightly that her fingernails were digging into the blonde haired girl's skin. But Leila was surprised that when Mrs Malfoy spoke, it wasn't some nasty comment directed at her; but rather how beautiful Daphne looked.

Leila thought she was going to be off the hook, but Mrs Malfoy then narrowed her eyes as she looked over Leila before slowly starting, "And this must be…"

"Leila Potter," Draco said, his eyes refusing to look at Leila as he looked up at the ceiling as if there were something more interesting up there.

"Hi," Leila whispered before waving awkwardly at the woman in front of her. She made a mental note to learn how to handle herself in situations like this as Mrs Malfoy pursed her lips and gave Leila a quick once over again before she continued her conversation with the elder Greengrasses. By this point, Draco had walked away from the conversation and pretended to busy himself with some Slytherin Hogwarts robes. Daphne looked over at him before she wrapped her arm around Leila's and walked them over to where he was occupying himself.

"How's your summer been, Draco?" Daphne pressed when they finally were standing beside him.

"Fine," Draco said rather shortly, still not looking at them and pushing through the robes.

"Don't you think Leila looks pretty in these dress robes, Draco? They look almost like the ones she wore to the Yule Ball. Do you remember?"

"What do you want me to say Greengrass?" His tone was rather clipped as he looked icily to Daphne. "I'm sure me saying something isn't anything Potter hasn't heard before."

"I-I'm going to change," Leila whispered before she took off in a sprint toward the dressing room. She slammed the door shut behind her, leaned against it, closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. It had never been this hard to be around him before. He had always been so annoying and it had made this awkward, but never had things been this tense before. The tension unnerved her. She didn't know why, but she didn't particularly enjoy being on the outs with him. She almost missed the Draco who had followed her around, tormented her, and continually asked her out. Almost. Not quite.

She practically tore the beautiful blue dress robes from her body and replaced them with the street clothes she had walked in with. She tried standing in the dressing room for a long period of time, but she couldn't bring herself to stand inside more than a few minutes before her conscience dragged her outside to where she found Daphne still standing and talking with Malfoy. Leila slowly walked back over to them. She was there no more than a few seconds, when Daphne excused herself-claiming to have seen a set of dress robes that she liked. This left Leila and Draco alone in the Hogwarts robes section of Twilfitt and Tattings. Draco continued flipping through robes while Leila stood there awkwardly with her arms folded over her chest tapping her foot. She knew how awkward this was, so she attempted to relieve some of the tension by attempting a _normal_ conversation with Draco.

"So..are you excited about going back to Hogwarts this year?" Leila choked out.

"Don't talk to me," Draco sneered.

"Excuse me?" Leila narrowed her eyes and bit her bottom lip in frustration. "I'm trying to be nice here."

"Because you being nice clearly works out to my advantage. Just stop."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing would be nice." By this point, Draco had stopped searching through the robes and stood there, towering over Leila with a cold expression on his face. Leila didn't like the way he was looking at her. His glance was almost colder than any look he ever gave her brother. Leila gently whispered his surname as she reached out to touch his arm; but Draco quickly recoiled and hissed, "Don't touch me," as he gripped his arm.

Leila looked at him, her mouth slightly agape as he backed away from her. Her head started to spin as she watched him grip his left arm with his right hand. On his right hand's ring finger was his Slytherin ring; but that ring seemed almost too familiar. Leila looked at him in confusion, which caused him to become confused as well. She tried to formulate words, but nothing seemed to come out. Was Draco Malfoy her recurring nightmare? His hand, his ring...they seemed so familiar. She tried to remember the voice; but she couldn't. This had to be some sort of mistake. She started to hyperventilate. Draco looked at her with concern for a brief moment and took a few steps closer until his eyes met hers. Something about his eyes seemed to calm down her breathing. She unintentionally reached for him again, bracing herself against his right side. He immediately tensed.

"What are you playing at, Potter?" Malfoy sneered as he brushed her aside.

"N-nothing," Leila whispered, beginning to breath a little more normally. "I'm not playing at anything."

Malfoy didn't really seem to believe her as he took a few steps backward. A few moments later, Daphne returned, "So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing," Draco and Leila muttered simultaneously. Daphne looked between them curiously, but she wisely said nothing more.

Leila looked over her shoulder to see Mrs Malfoy eyeing them curiously. It was obvious that she didn't like Leila very much and that was only confirmed when Leila attempted to leave with the Greengrasses. The older blonde woman had grabbed her arm, causing Leila to jerk back before making eye contact. "Stay away from Draco. I don't need you distracting him this year."

"It would be only my pleasure to oblige," Leila retorted.

Mrs Malfoy looked at her suspiciously before Leila quickly removed the older woman's grasp of her. Why would she ever go out of her way to distract Malfoy? Unless it was revenge for the years of torture he had subjected her to; but still, she wouldn't go out of her way for him. As Leila walked out the door, she took a quick glance back at Draco and saw him watching her with sad eyes, which quickly turned cold before he averted the direction he was looking. Leila knew the Malfoys were upset with with the outcome of Draco's father's trial; but she couldn't help but think there was something more to all of this.

"Did you think Malfoy was acting rather odd?" Leila asked Daphne.

"He always acts odd around you. It's because he fancies you," Daphne said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"He told me to stay away from him...and so did his mother."

"I suppose he does seem a little different now that I think about it...a bit distracted."

"But why?"

"Why are you suddenly so curious about Draco?"

"I'm not. I-I just think he's acting odd and I want to know why."

"Are you missing his attention?"

"Absolutely not. I'm actually rather grateful he seems to have moved on from me. Now maybe Parkinson will give me a break."

"Doubtful." Daphne smirked at Leila which caused the dark-haired girl to groan as she rested her head against her friend's shoulder. The two Slytherin girls continued to walk down the alley toward Fred and George's joke shop because it was about that time. While she definitely didn't want to return to spend more time with Granger, she also didn't want the Ministry out looking for her. Quite the predicament. But that wasn't the only thing on her mind. Leila sighed. She knew something was going with Malfoy and for some reason unknown to her, it bothered her.

* * *

 **Author's note: Clearly my muse is still with Leila. So, here's another chapter. :) Thank you to all of you have have followed/favorited this story. It truly means the world to me, especially given the fact that this is a rewrite. I hope that it's worth it. :)**

* * *

 _If you're ever looking to interact with me, I have a couple blogs on tumblr: leilapotter, missjanuarylily (my author blog), ellewinchester-uatw (my primary blog that will follow back)_


	6. Draco's Detour

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Draco's Detour**

After Leila had parted with Daphne, she found Mr Weasley standing outside Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes waiting for her. He nodded at her and wisely said nothing as she waved at him before crossing the cobbled stone path. The Weasley patriarch told her that he had to run some sort of errand quickly and not to leave Fred and George's shop for any circumstance. Leila rolled her eyes. It wasn't like she had anywhere else in Diagon Alley she'd rather be. To be honest, she was probably far safer inside the joke shop than just about anywhere else in the alley. Not to mention that she now more than ever waned to avoid Draco and Mummy, especially after that little run in. Malfoy she could probably handle on her own, but Leila didn't know much about his mother aside from her pessimistic disposition. Leila had to admit, the unknown terrified her, especially with Voldemort on the loose. But she should be safe in Fred and George's joke shop, right?

Leila opened the front door to the shop and a bell rang as she crossed the threshold. Her eyes widened in wonderment as she beheld what Fred and George had done to the place. There didn't seem to be enough appropriate adjectives to describe the floor to ceiling shelves filled with products, the crowds of children looking for something to brighten the current dark days, or the general demeanor inside which drastically contrasted the alley it resided in. With an impressed smile on her face, Leila turned and picked the first box from the shelves she could reach. It was an aviatomobile, a small flying toy car. She shook her head, knowing full-well where the inspiration for that product came.

 _ **~*~ Flashback to Summer 1992~*~**_

 _The Weasley twins froze for a moment before they crawled through the window of the car and into the Potter twins' prison. Fred…or was it George? It was hard to tell in the dark; but one of the twins easily picked the lock on the door. Harry warned them about the bottom stair that creaked before they disappeared into the darkened hall. Leila handed Ron her small bundle before Harry tossed his over. Leila then reached up on her bed for Roman, who was not too happy about all the visitors invading his territory. He was backed all the way at the corner of the bed. Leila had to persuade him to come closer to the edge so that she could easily grab him without having to crawl onto the bed herself. When she finally managed to coax Roman to come closer, she dragged him off the bed before going to the window._

 _"Ron, catch," Leila said as Roman began to hiss slightly._

 _"I don't think so. He's going to try and kill me," Ron said. "Give him to Harry and you crawl over here."_

 _Leila rolled her eyes in the dark before shoving Roman to Harry. Leila then crawled onto the desk before poking her head out the window. It was a good thing that heights weren't one of her irrational fears, she thought as she looked down at the shrubbery many feet below. Leila then looked to Ron who held his hand out for her to grab. He looked to her with a half-smile on his innocent face to which she exhaled slowly before speaking to him. "I swear, if you let go, I am going to kill you."_

 _Ron didn't even have time to respond as Leila took hold of his sweaty hand. Without thinking twice, he pulled her over into the car as she went crashing on top of him. Leila tried to sit up while she was still on top of Ron but she somehow managed to hit her head on the ceiling of the car. After which, her head come crashing back down right squarely onto Ron's face which made somewhat of a crunching sound on contact. He groaned as Leila rubbed at her face and muttered an apology. Ron attempted to gently shove Leila off him as Harry practically dangled Roman out the window. Roman meowed in discomfort as Harry shouted for them to hurry up._

 _"Hold on!" Ron and Leila shouted simultaneously._

 _Leila and Ron got situated in the car as Harry continued to hold Roman out to them. Leila reached over and took Roman into her arms and held him close to her. It was at that moment that Fred crawled back into the car and into the driver's seat. He needed to get the car swung around so that they could put the trunks in the boot of the car. Fred revved the engine and quickly swung the car around, which neither Ron nor Leila were ready for. This time, it was Ron who went crashing into Leila. If she would have known that getting into a car with Ron Weasley would have been this dangerous, she almost would have preferred that he and his sweaty hands would have dropped her. Leila gently tossed Roman into the front seat as she began to crawl over the seat._

 _"What do you think you're doing?" Ron questioned._

 _"I'm going up front before you maim me," Leila muttered._

 _"Or your bloody cat maims me."_

 _With a shove from Ron, Leila tumbled into the front seat of the car as Fred turned the car once again. George moved to get in first so that he could help Harry inside. Harry had wrapped his hand around George's arm, when Roman began to meow. Leila's eyes widened. She had her pet, but Harry still didn't have his. She yelled Hedwig's name to her brother. Harry instantly let go, but of course Hedwig took that moment to begin hooting and hollering. Harry yelled at his owl to quiet down; but obviously Hedwig didn't understand English and didn't shut up. Neither the Potters nor the Weasleys realized that the snoring from Uncle Vernon had ceased. Harry handed Hedwig over to George; but in the process of George handing the cage over to Ron the door to the Potter twins' room seemed to fly off its hinges. Uncle Vernon pushed his way into the room and shouted to Aunt Petunia that the Potter twins were escaping. Instinctively, Leila scooted closer to Fred, trying to put as much space between her and Uncle Vernon as possible. By this point, Hedwig was hooting in panic as Harry was trying at great lengths to escape. Surprisingly, Uncle Vernon had moved quickly across the empty room as Harry was attempting to get into the car. Both Ron and George each held onto one of Harry's arms and were attempting to pull him into the car when Uncle Vernon caught Harry's leg. Leila screamed as Uncle Vernon shouted that Harry and his bloody pigeon weren't going anywhere. Leila found it quite odd that he had made no mention of her; but she didn't have time to properly think about it, what with trying to escape and all._

 _"Fred, drive!" Ron shouted._

 _Fred nodded his head quite enthusiastically as he shifted the car into drive and heavily pressed his foot on the gas pedal. The car began to lurch forward before is suddenly stalled and Leila's eyes were glued to her brother's eyes, which were easily enough to read: he was clearly worried. Fred put his foot on the gas once more, but began to slightly panic as the car refused to move forward. George and Ron both kept tight grips on Harry's arms but they were straining to hold onto him. Harry wasn't that heavy. But as Leila slowly poked her head over George's shoulder she saw Uncle Vernon, with his feet barely on the window sill dangling from Harry's legs._

 _"Fred, stop!" Leila squealed to Fred._

 _He looked at her quite oddly as he slammed his foot on the break. If they were going to lose the extra weight, it needed to be a surprise. Fred looked about ready to say something as Harry shouted in panic as he dangled in mid-air. Leila put up three fingers and counted down without using her voice. Three fingers. Two fingers. One finger. Fred must have understood because at one finger, he slammed his foot on the gas. The heavy acceleration was enough to shake Uncle Vernon. He fell from the second story window right into the very shrubbery Leila had been admiring before she had jumped into the flying car. For a moment, Leila thought that Harry had gone down with him but thankfully both Ron and George kept a tight grip on him before they slowly pulled him inside the car. Leila finally breathed a sigh of relief as Harry clambered into the back seat with Ron and Hedwig's cage. She took one last look back at number four Privet drive to see the silhouettes of Dudley and Aunt Petunia standing in the window while she could hear Uncle Vernon shouting for them to come back. He had better stop otherwise the neighbours might think he was up to something abnormal. The thought made Leila smile, but she did so even more when she realized that they were free. Free from the Dursleys. With a sigh of contentment, Leila finally relaxed and leaned her head back against the seat of the car as Harry shouted down to the Dursleys that they would see them next summer which caused a laugh out of everyone else in the car. When the laughing finished, Ron began to speak._

 _"I know it's a bit belated but, happy birthday, Harry," Ron said._

 _"Don't forget Leila," Fred added._

 _"I was getting there. You just didn't let me finish."_

 _"Well, don't let us stop you," George continued._

 _"And Leila too." Ron grumbled, slumping his shoulders and rolling his eyes at his brothers._

 _Ron suggested that they let Hedwig fly behind them and Harry all-too-eagerly agreed seeing as she hadn't been allowed out all summer. As Harry released Hedwig outside, Leila snuggled Roman closer to her. Leila listened as Ron began his interrogation of Harry. Apparently, he had been quite concerned about them…both of them. She even heard him mention her name. It looked like the not hating each other thing was going alright…at least on his part. She still needed to work on that, especially the not trusting him thing. Then again, except for what had happened that night under the trap door, she really hadn't much of a reason to trust Ron Weasley. But he was Harry's best friend, so he deserved a fair chance because he had at least attempted to do right by her. So for that reason and that reason alone, she was going to give Ron a fair chance but there was no way in hell that she was going to do the same for Granger. Besides, Harry hadn't agreed to anything with her friends…or at least that was the consolation she gave herself. Leila listened as Harry began to explain about how the Dursleys had kept them practically shut in the house for so much of the summer, even before the whole magic incident happened. He then continued on about the bloody house elf in their bedroom which had caused so much chaos for them the past few days and the warning he had given them. When Harry finished talking Fred and George looked to each other over Leila's head._

 _Leila rolled her eyes and turned around to sit properly. She didn't have the most room sitting in between Fred and George, but with Hedwig's cage still taking up the spot of a person in the backseat, this was the only space she could fit. Leila yawned once more. George must have seen her because he also yawned, but he quickly rolled down the window and stuck his head out it for a rush of fresh air. Leila only closed her eyes and seemed to snuggled a bit closer to Fred who looked down at her with an odd expression on his face before shaking his head and looking back at the sky ahead of them. The good thing was that traffic was much lighter up here._

 _ **~*~ End Flashback~*~**_

Leila put the box back on the shelf before walking further into the store. The awe and wonder was still evident on her face as she passed by many Hogwarts students. She couldn't help but smile knowing that many of these products would soon be banned by Filch. The Weasley twins had sure given Filch a run for his money back in their Hogwarts days. It was nice to see that Fred and George could still bother the old man even after they had left Hogwarts.

Seemingly out of nowhere, an arm wrapped around Leila's shoulders. She tensed for a minute, but when she looked up she saw that it was only Fred standing beside her, dressed in a fine suit, with a large grin on his face. "So? What do you think?"

"I'm only three steps inside the place. I can hardly make an informed decision," Leila teased.

"Sure you can."

Fred winked, causing Leila to chuckle and shake her head before answering. "Alright, the place is bloody awesome. Happy?"

"Very." Noticing that his hand was still resting on Leila's shoulder, Fred slowly removed his hand before shoving them in his pants' pockets. "Well, you're just in time for the grand tour I was about to give Harry. Care to join us?"

"If I have to."

"Oh, you do." Leila couldn't help but giggle as Fred pushed her forward and steered her toward the shelves Harry was standing beside with Ron. Harry gave Leila a puzzled glance before looking up to Fred, who immediately removed his hands from Harry's sister. Leila unzipped her jumper a bit to cool herself down from the heat radiating from her face. Fred didn't seem too bothered by it because he just said, "C'mon, Harry. Lots to see."

"What 'bout me?" Ron asked.

"Bugger off and annoy someone else for a change," Fred suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "Investors only."

"But I'm your brother."

"You make a very good point, Ron. That's reason enough to ban you from the store. Security? Security?"

"I'm going. I'm going." Ron's shoulders slumped as he walked away from the trio off to bother Ginny and Hermione. From the look on Fred's face, it was obvious he was enjoying this. Then again, he always enjoyed picking on Ron and Ron always easily set himself up for the twins' teasing.

Leila began looking around the store, scanning every nook and cranny she could possibly see. "Do you really have a security team for this place?" Leila questioned.

"No, but Ron doesn't know that." Fred slapped his hands down, one on each of the Potter twins' shoulders. "Now off we go."

Fred started the tour in the joke products section. He enthusiastically explained about most of their best-selling products and how he and George had come up with the idea. Leila was almost overwhelmed by just how many different products they had. Then again, Leila had been distant for most of the last year to really know any better. Leila reached for a package labeled _Comb-a-Chameleon_ and smirked. Fred began explaining how the product was made from Romanian celanease acetate, but Leila turned toward her brother. "This would be perfect for the mess atop Granger's head," Leila commented. Harry attempted to elbow her, but she already knew it was coming, so she side-stepped him and raised her eyebrows. "I suppose it could do wonders for your hair too. Shall we give it a try?"

Harry backed up, but Leila took a step toward him. He then reached for the package and tried to wrestle it away from Leila as Fred continued to ramble for a moment before stopping to watch the Potter twins fight over the box. Harry finally managed to break the box loose from Leila's grip, but Fred tossed her another one. Leila's grin spread across her face before she stuck her tongue out at her brother. Harry groaned and then slightly narrowed his eyes. "On the count of three," Harry stated firmly nodding back toward the shelf. "One. Two. Three." On three, both Potter twins set their boxes back on the shelf and then slowly removed their hands.

As they walked away toward another section of the joke shop, Fred whispered to Leila, so that Harry couldn't hear, that he would give her one for later. Harry wouldn't know what hit him...well, actually he probably would; but Leila could hardly wait to prank her brother back at the Burrow.

Fred next showed the Potter twins the Explosive Enterprise section. Almost every student who had been at Hogwarts last year had seen the pyrotechnics the Weasley twins were capable of. The show had been quite impressive; but needless to say, Leila had missed the twins, especially Fred, after they had departed Hogwarts. But not wanting to dwell too much on the pain that was last year, Leila listened as Fred excitedly described the other products they had invented since their departure. She was happy for the twins that they were doing so well for themselves. To think, Mrs Weasley thought they wouldn't amount to much since neither of them had made prefect.

After showing them the Muggle magic trick section and an area of Defense objects, George finally joined up with them as they made their way to the WonderWitch section. The entire display was violently pink and honestly, it reminded Leila of Pepto-Bismol; but it was obviously a marketing technique to attract females into their store. Harry and George began discussing something as Leila immediately gravitated toward the Pygmy Puffs and picked up a purple one. She cuddled it close to her neck and sighed contentedly.

"You can have it if you want," Fred said, leaning slightly against the display with his back to Harry and George while he faced Leila.

"I already have Roman back at the Burrow. Hogwarts won't allow me two pets," Leila responded as she gently stroked the Pygmy Puff.

"I-I could take care of it for you." Leila instantly looked up at Fred. "I mean, only if you want me to. It could live upstairs with Georgie and me."

Leila was about to protest the idea when George interrupted her. Fred's twin had picked up a Kissing Concoction and tossed it to him, "Someone needs to use his own products."

"You should really be talking," Fred said before tossing George a Patented Daydream Charm. "That's the only way you'll be getting snogged anytime soon."

"You think so, do you?"

"I know so."

It looked like George was about ready to respond when a blonde witch dressed in magenta robes with the joke shop's logo embroidered on the front walked over and interrupted them. "Excuse me. There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr Weasley and Mr Weasley."

" _Mr_ Weasley?" Leila sniggered, before bringing her hand to her mouth to try and muffle the sound that escaped. George raised an eyebrow toward Leila. "What? It's hard imagining you two as adults." Fred made mention of having the same problem which made George smile.

"Verity, I'll be right there," George told the witch before turning to the Potter twins. "Harry, Leila, you two can help yourselves to anything in here you want-free of charge." George then walked away with the slender witch, leaning down a bit to hear what she was saying to him.

Harry looked to Leila before looking up to Fred, "We can't do that-just take what we want."

"Sure you can," Fred said. "You two don't pay here...ever."

"That hardly seems right," Leila added.

"George and I have made up our minds. You two gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten. We wouldn't be here without the two of you." Fred looked down at the Potter twins, both of them looking like they felt uneasy about the situation. "I have one last thing I want to show you two."

Fred walked the Potter twins toward toward a wall near the front of the store before he stopped and pointed. Leila wasn't sure how she had missed this; but it was a plaque dedicated to their "Investors." Underneath the word investors was a photograph of the Potter twins with the Weasley twins taken at some point last year in the Room of Requirement. Leila remembered Colin Creevey had taken the photograph, but she never knew what had happened to it, yet here it was. Leila scrunched her nose a bit at the picture.

"Why'd you have to use that one?" Leila questioned.

"Because it was one of the few times you actually looked happy last year after…" Fred started.

"Cedric." Leila clutched her throat when she noticed the photograph that had been on the mirror in the Room of Requirement was now framed below the twins' photograph. She felt her throat get tight and tears began to well in her eyes. Suddenly, it felt like a ton of bricks had hit her and she didn't know why it had happened at that precise moment, but it had. The room seemed to be closing in around her. "I'll be right back."

With that, Leila rushed out of the store and into the alley. Several tears escaped and ran down her cheeks before she found a bench to sit on outside the shot. Leila hugged her knees and rested her forehead against her legs as feelings of emotional turmoil continued to wreak havoc on her. Merlin, she missed Cedric. He had been one of her closest friends, especially first year when Harry had unintentionally left her for Ron and Hermione. For Leila, she had grown to care for Cedric Diggory more than just a friend. He was the first boy she had ever fancied and now he was dead- because of her. Now, she knew that wasn't entirely true; but emotions were fickle and like to play tricks on one's mind.

Leila eventually was able to control the tears and bring her emotions back under her control. That was the thing about grief-it never really left. You just learned how to live with it better, but at any moment the pain could come back for a time. You just couldn't let the darkness consume you-which almost happened to her last year. Honestly, Daphne was probably the only person who knew how bad things had gotten last year. Leila hadn't wanted to burden her brother with her pain because she knew he was grieving too.

After sniffling once more, Leila stood up and walked into the alley. She slowly began pacing from the middle of the alley toward the shop and then back to the middle of the alley. She was so occupied on her own thoughts that she didn't even notice two figure walking her direction, walking rather briskly. It was only once she had almost ran into one of the figures that she jumped back with her eyes wide. "Watch it, Potter," the familiar platinum-blonde haired Slytherin sneered as he walked past her with his mother.

Leila wisely bit her tongue, choosing to not respond to him. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and watched as the two Malfoys briskly continued down the alley. She was going to watch where they were going, but her attention was diverted to her brother running up behind her with Ron and Hermione in tow. "I'm fine, Harry," Leila groaned before Harry could even respond.

"That's what you said last year and you weren't," Harry argued giving her a pointed look.

"Harry, I miss Cedric, that's all. He was my-my-friend, you know that." Leila folded her arms across her chest defensively. "Honest, I'm fine."

"You'd tell me if you weren't, right?"

"I appreciate the big brother act, but I can take care of myself." But Leila knew that Harry was waiting for her to answer his question. She rolled her eyes and groaned, "And to answer your question-yes, I would." Ron and Hermione then walked closer. Leila blew a puff of air to get a stray tendril of hair out of her face before she spoke again. "What are you lot up to? You didn't make the trip out here for little ol' me did you?"

"No, of course not," Ron responded with a lie he was trying to push as the truth. He uncomfortably shifted before continuing."Just thought you might want to join us for a walk around the alley."

"I don't think we're supposed to leave the shop."

"You're supposed to be a Slytherin-don't you lot enjoy breaking the rules?"

"Ha-you're hilarious. Obviously, you've never used that one before." Leila rolled her eyes in her sarcasm. "Fine, we can go. I've got nothing better to do-but if we get in trouble I'm blaming you lot."

"You always do." Harry and Hermione chuckled at Ron's comment to which Leila gave him a playful shove. "Bloody hell, woman, you know it's true."

Leila simply smirked at him before she began walking down the cobbled streets with Gryffindor's Golden Trio. She never really understood that nickname because for most of the big moments, Leila was always right by their sides...rather reluctantly of course; but then again, that always seemed to be the fate of a Slytherin. Only remembered for the terrible things they did and rarely even recognized for the good. The Potter girl kicked at a stray rock in the street before watching it roll several yards.

It was disheartening to see all the shops boarded up. Granger must have been thinking the same thing, "How are Fred and George doing it? Half the alley is closed up," the girl commented.

"Fred reckons people need a laugh these days," Ron said with a shrug.

"I reckon he's right," Harry added.

Granger stopped suddenly in front of Ollivander's Wand Shop and let out a gasp. Leila wanted to make some retort that they already knew what happened to Ollivander's shop; but it hardly seemed appropriate given their current state of affairs. Instead, Leila opted for an eyeroll as Harry opened the broken door to the shop. Ron and Hermione followed him inside; but Leila stood outside hesitant to go in at first. She wasn't really sure she wanted to go in; but when she caught another glimpse of the Malfoys out of the corner of her eye she decided that she would much rather be out of their sight. So, Leila crossed the threshold into the shop. Inside, it was painful to look at the place in shambled-wands and boxes scattered across the floor; broken glass covering nearly every surface. It was such a vast difference from the first time Leila had walked into the wandshop.

 _ **~*~ Flashback to Summer 1991~*~**_

 _Leila nodded her head as Hagrid walked her over to Ollivander's Wand Shop. Hagrid opened the door for her and told her to wait outside when she was finished. Leila nodded her head as she stepped inside the small shop which covered from floor to ceiling with boxes. The man behind the counter was already helping someone, Leila looked around the shop in pure wonderment._

 _"You must forgive me; but you look so much like your mother...Miss Potter," the old man said with a smile on his face. "10 ¼ inches, made of willow."_

 _Leila's face was one of pure shock. How did he know who she was? She had never met him before in her life. Was this what it was going to be like here in this world? Realizing that she never answered the man, Leila finally stammered out a few words. "I—I don't remember her."_

 _"I don't suppose you would," the man said. "You were so young when they passed on. But you didn't come here to discuss that. No, I do believe you came here for your first wand." Leila nodded her head. "How 'bout I pick one out and you give it a wave?"_

 _Leila nodded her head again as the man came forward and asked her which arm was her wand arm. Not exactly sure which one was her wand arm, she held out the hand she wrote with: her right hand. Mr Ollivander then pulled out a long tape measure and measured her arm as he explained that no two wands he made were alike. Leila took a deep breath before he went back into his shelves stacked with wands and came out with a box. He handed her a wand, Hornbeam and unicorn tail 9 ½ inches, and she sheepishly looked around to see if this was real before she gave it a wave. With a wave of the wand, the windows in the front of the store imploded toward them. Mr Ollivander quickly withdrew his own wand and the shards of glass turned to sand._

 _"No," was all he said. Mr Ollivander then suggested that she try a wand like her father's; but Leila wasn't too sure. She didn't want to go around terrorizing the poor old man's shop with every wand she waved; but Mr Ollivander must have recognized her hesitancy because with a flick of his wand the glass windows were back in place. Leila stood in awe as every bit of glass magically zoomed back into place. She pinched herself, still somewhat unsure if this was really happening. Good things almost never happened to her...or at least her track record proved otherwise: parents dying, getting stuck with the Dursleys...the list could go on and on. Leila walked over to the window and placed her hand against the glass to see if it was really real and it was. She was surprised when he started to chuckle, "You can break them as many times as you like until we get it right."_

 _"Are you sure?" Leila asked timidly._

 _"It would only be utmost pleasure."_

 _Leila took in a deep breath before she walked back over to the counter. Mr Ollivander handed her another wand, Elm and phoenix feather 10 inches. Leila slowly opened her hand so that he could place the wand in her trembling hand. After a little bit of encouraging, she waved the wand; but before it did anything, Mr Ollivander snatched the wand out of her hand. Leila backed away from him, thinking that she was doing something wrong. Maybe this was a dream that she would be waking up from soon...or maybe she wasn't really a witch after all. Maybe she would be stuck going to Stonewall while Harry got to go to Hogwarts. Leila began to slightly panic as Mr Ollivander took a few steps forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her straight in the eyes._

 _"Don't worry, your father took an incredibly long time to find his first wand too," he said "Twelve wands if my memory serves me correctly." Leila blushed and couldn't help but grin at the mention of her father, whom she knew almost nothing about. A puzzled expression furrowed her brow and Mr Ollivander realized his mistake."You may look just like your mother; but you have your father's smile."_

 _"I do?"_

 _"Yes and I'm sure some of your Hogwarts professors will be all too familiar with that mischievous grin."_

 _Leila couldn't hide her grin as Mr Ollivander went back to find another wand. After trying four other wands,he handed Leila a fir and dragon heartstring wand, 10 inches. The second she took it in her hand, red and purple sparks began to shoot from the wand and seemed to dance through the air. Leila looked with awe at scene before her as the old man clapped his hands. She looked to him as he looked to her with a slight grin on his face; but he seemed to be holding back from saying what was on his mind for a moment._

 _"Fir is one of the most resilient trees, you know. My grandfather always said that wands made of fir were survivors' wands. I think we can expect you to overcome great difficulties, Miss Potter."_

 _"Difficulties?"_

 _"Yes, I'm certain you and your brother will find many difficulties lie ahead; but you shall prevail. Now, this wand is suited especially for Transfiguration, much like your father."_

 _The door of the shop opened and the bell rang. Leila turned around to see a woman with blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. The woman held herself high and looked as if she would much rather be anywhere else but there. Mr Ollivander looked up at the woman and nodded his head before he returned his attention back to Leila. He placed the wand back in the box from which it came before he handed it back to Leila. Leila paid the man seven Galleons before she turned around to head out the door. She opened it and the bell rang before she turned around back toward the man and thank him._

 _"The pleasure was all mine, Leila Potter."_

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila sighed now knowing the woman who had entered the shop after her was Draco Malfoy's mother. She couldn't help but wonder if the woman had known who she was at the time, much like everyone else in the Wizarding World; but that was an answer she knew she would never get. Especially now that the woman wanted her to have nothing to do with her son. Leila shook her head in confusion. She wasn't sure why she cared so much or why her brain felt it necessary to be thinking so much of the Malfoys; but apparently she wasn't the only one with them on the brain.

Ron walked toward the broken window and looked out into the alley. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, watching what was going on outside. "Harry, is it just me or does it look like Draco and Mummy are two people who don't want to be followed?"

Harry quickly rushed over to stand beside Ron and look out the window. Hermione slowly made her way over; but Leila didn't need to see to know that the Malfoys were skulking around the Diagon Alley, having already run into them enough times for one day. "They're headed for Knockturn Alley," Harry breathed.

"You would know how to get there," Leila retorted sarcastically referencing the time Harry had Flooed to the deplorable place instead of Diagon Alley like everyone else. Harry shot her a _now's not the time for your sarcasm_ glance before he told them to follow him. Harry practically ran out of the shop, leaving Ron, Hermione, and Leila looking to one another. "Now what?" the Potter girl groaned.

"Well, we can't very well let him go wandering 'round Knockturn Alley by himself, can we?" Ron said. Leila wanted to point out again that Harry had already done that, but instead she followed Ron and Hermione out of the shop.

By the time they caught up to Harry, he was about to round the corner into the alley that led to Knockturn Alley. "Harry, what if we're seen?" Granger questioned. Despite how much she disliked Granger, Leila hoped that the girl could knock some sense into Harry. But instead, Granger was swayed to Harry's side when he pulled his invisibility cloak from his back pocket. Leila stood there somewhat dumbfounded as Ron and Granger quickly crawled under the cloak with her brother. Harry stood there in the opening looking at his sister to hurry up.

"Really? You thought to bring your invisibility cloak with you to Diagon Alley?" Leila questioned.

"I brought it just in case," Harry muttered. "And I think this qualifies as just in case."

"Well, there's no way we can all possibly fit underneath that like we used to. At the very least our feet will be seen." Leila pointed out the fact that six feet were clearly visible at the moment.

"Either get under here or we're leaving without you. I'm not going to lose them."

Leila growled something under her breath before she slipped under the cloak with the other three. It was very cramped under the cloak and it wasn't nearly as roomy as it had been when they were eleven. Not to mention that there were four pairs of feet skulking toward Knockturn Alley- which probably wasn't even the strangest sight to see in the place. The Malfoys finally came into view again, so they stayed a safe distance behind them. Although, that didn't stop the teenagers under the cloak from clumsily running into each other.

"Why are _you_ so concerned about the Malfoys?" Leila whispered to her brother.

"Sh! Not now," Harry hissed to his sister. Leila was somewhat taken aback by his short response, but she didn't have time to argue because they suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Leila felt herself falling forward and she was sure she was going to lose her cover underneath the cloak; but thankfully Ron's hand snaked around her arm and pulled her back in place.

"You're welcome," Ron whispered. Leila rolled her eyes. She was getting around to saying thank you-she was just trying to catch her breath first.

"Where'd they go?" Leila asked, looking around the alley and seeing no sign of either Malfoy.

"They're in _there_ ," Granger whispered nodding at the building toward her left.

"I can't see, Ron's big head is in the way," Harry added.

"It's Bourgin and Burkes, mate," Ron said.

"Always wanted to go there," Leila said sarcastically.

"Really?"

"No, not really, you dolt." Leila suddenly felt a hand wrap around her mouth before she was pulled close toward her brother. She wanted to argue, but she knew why when she saw an ugly, old witch walk by. The quartet remained close to the wall, not speaking until they were sure the old witch was out of earshot. It was Leila who spoke first, "So, now what?"

"Well, we can't stay here," Granger said. "That was close-too close."

"I agree." Leila was surprised when the words came from her mouth that she stopped speaking for a moment to digest the words she had just spoken. She then shook her head, pretending it had never happened. "We'd probably be safer up there." Leila pointed to the roof of the shop next to Bourgin and Burkes. It had a low roofline which would make it easy enough for them to get to. Surprisingly, Granger actually agreed with Leila.

Both Harry and Ron were almost in shock that the two girls agreed about something; but neither wanted the girls to start bickering and ruin the moment. So, Harry pushed Leila forward a little to lead them to the lowest point in the roofline where they could climb up. Harry tried to maneuver himself onto Ron's shoulders to climb onto the roof; but it was much too awkward still wearing the invisibility cloak. So, they quickly removed the cloak and hoped they weren't noticed. Harry went up first. Once he was in position he reached his hand down and grabbed hold of Leila, who was now standing on Ron's back. Leila practically flew at her brother over the ridgepole, but she landed with a loud thud onto the roof. All the teenagers froze for a moment, hoping no one heard them. A few seconds later, Harry reached down and grabbed hold of Hermione. It took all three of them, Harry, Leila, and Hermione to pull Ron onto the roof.

Once they were all atop the roof, they made sure that they were hidden from plain sight as they situated themselves so that they could peer through the windows into Bourgin and Burkes. Leila furrowed her brow at the sight inside: Draco was standing beside his mother nodding his head slowly as a woman with dark unruly hair talked to him. The woman was his aunt Bellatrix Lestrange-a witch who had escaped from Azkaban and was loyal to Lord Voldemort. The only other person inside she recognized was Fenfir Greyback, his wanted posters littered throughout Diagon Alley.

Leila wanted to believe that nothing was going on; but she knew better than to hope that. Something was going on...something _had_ to be going on. It only made sense given the fact inside the shop were two known Death Eater and two family members of an incarcerated and disgraced Death Eater. So something definitely had to be going on; but what? Leila watched as Draco moved away from his mother and walk toward a black cabinet. He stared intently at the cabinet for a few moments before he began to circle it. He placed his hand on smooth black wood and grazed his hand against it. Leila suddenly began to shake her head began to pound, her vision growing blurry. She fell to her knees and pressed her hands against her temples and ears as scenes from her dream began to play out in her head before her.

 _A pale hand with a Slytherin ring brushed across a dark wooden door. The hand seemed to caress the wood carefully and purposefully. Fingernails began to scratch at the intricate metallic engravings before the fingers firmly grasped a knob. After a twist, the door opened to reveal more darkness. Distorted whispers of "Montague" and "the only way" droned eerily in the air. Suddenly, a crimson pair of lips pressed against a pale cheek before a brief flash of icy blue. Then everything went black._

Having had this vision once before, Leila needed to know if it was real. She lunged to look once again, but Harry pulled her down toward the flat surface of the roof with him. Greyback had appeared in the window, causing the Gryffindor trio to duck. Thankfully, Harry had thought to grab his sister otherwise they surely would have been caught. Leila was breathing heavily with her brother's arms wrapped around her. They stayed there, ducked for a few minutes hoping they hadn't been noticed.

In their crouched position, Harry moved his head closer to his sister's ear so she could hear him, "You had a vision, didn't you?"

"Harry, it's nothing," Leila whispered back.

"You said that back at the Dursleys too. Now tell me, what did you see."

"I saw what you saw."

"Leila, I'm being serious here."

"So am I. I saw what you saw-but from inside." She knew that with Harry already suspicious of her-the more she would deny it, the more paranoid he would grow. So, instead, she was going to go along with him-but only give him vague details. Leila could feel Harry's body tense beside her for a few seconds, but he finally released the breath he had been holding.

"You need to talk to Dumbledore. You promised me that much." Leila rolled her eyes and was about to argue with him when Ron interrupted. He asked if Greyback was gone yet. Harry bravely peered over the ridgepole before slamming his fist against it. "Damnit, they closed the curtain."

"I think that's our sign to get the hell out of here," Leila whispered.

The quartet then quietly vacated the rooftop the way they had gotten up, careful to not put themselves in a line of sight into Bourgin and Burkes. Leila still couldn't shake the feeling from the vision she had-probably because she had just watched one of her visions come true. It must be like what Harry felt; but what Leila couldn't figure out was why she was getting them. Voldemort had no connection to her like he did Harry. This was somewhat troubling; but she didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, she stayed close to her brother as they maneuvered their way out of Knockturn Alley.

They didn't worry about using the invisibility cloak for their return trip. Harry led the way stoically as Leila held onto his arm not wanting to be lost or left behind. She hadn't really noticed much on their way into Knockturn Alley, but on their way out-Leila noticed some of the creepy oddities of the place. For instance, there was a man who muttered to himself...or was it the wall. Every now and then, Leila would look to her brother. Without even having to ask-Leila knew what he was thinking. She could practically see the gears grinding in his head. But it couldn't be possible, right? Draco Malfoy a Death Eater?

The annoying prat that followed her around for years, a Death Eater? It made sense in the context of knowing her dreams...or visions...or whatever it was she was having. But Leila had never fully revealed what she had seen to her brother. So how Harry had made the connection, she wasn't sure; but he always saw the worst as far as Draco Malfoy was concerned. Leila shook the thoughts from her head-she didn't want to rationalize it. She couldn't. While it made sense-it also didn't. Especially after last year, why would Voldemort put his faith in a Malfoy again? He wouldn't. That part didn't make sense. Gah! None of this made any sense at all. Leila's grip on her brother tightened in her frustration. He squealed a bit before he removed his arm from her clutches just as the joke shop came into view once again.

From the window, Mrs Weasley stood looking rather angry as she was talking with Fred. As the door opened her words of "Where are they?" echoed down the street. Knowing that either way, someone was bound to get in trouble, they decided that two of them would sneak inside under the cloak and two of them would face the wrath of Mrs Weasley. They settled the score using one of the oldest methods in the book: rock, paper, scissors-a game they had to teach Ron second year. Harry played Leila and Ron played Hermione. The girls both lost their games and were forced to abandon the invisibility cloak around the corner while Harry and Ron slipped back inside.

Leila groaned as she grudgingly walked beside Granger. "This plan sucks dragon balls." Granger raised her eyebrow at Leila who rolled her eyes. "Well, it does. As if Mrs Weasley is ever going to believe that you and I would go in the alley together by ourselves...unless, I was going to murder you. But then, I wouldn't be coming back with you, now would I?"

"Just act natural," Granger responded with a roll of her eyes.

"But nothing about this is natural."

"I saw you crying on the bench too, you know. We'll just go with that."

Leila muttered something to herself as Mrs Weasley practically ran out of the shop when she spotted the two girls. The older woman quickly embraced the two teenage girls before letting go and sternly staring at them. "Where have you two been?"

"We were….talking," Leila said. "Yeah-talking, because you know-we do that. Talk and stuff." Mrs Weasley obviously wasn't buying it. She put her hands on her hips and looked knowingly at the two girls in front of her.

"I saw her crying on the bench and I thought someone should talk to her so she wasn't alone in the alley," Hermione added. "Stupid idea, really."

"Really stupid idea," Leila agreed. "It was almost as if the boys came up with it."

Mrs Weasley's expression seemed to soften a bit. "Speaking of the boys, you haven't seen them, have you?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"Are you sure they aren't inside?" Hermione asked. "That's where I saw them last."

"They didn't come when I called them."

"Maybe we should go look again," Leila suggested. "I mean, where else could they be?"

Mrs Weasley seemed to agree with them and walked back toward the sho, with Hermione and Leila following behind. Leila rolled her eyes at Granger who set her jaw and shook her head. They could barely even pretend to get along. Once they were back inside the shop, Mrs Weasley found the boys in the back corner and stomped over to them at once. It looked like they weren't going to escape Mrs Weasley's wrath after all.

Leila wandered about the shop until it was time for them to head back to the Burrow. When the time came, Mrs Weasley gathered the teenagers before saying goodbye to Fred and George and departing the store. When Leila hugged Fred goodbye, he held onto her a little longer than normal and when he finally did release her, he looked like he was about to say something; but he must have thought better because he then awkwardly patted her on the shoulder and told her to be good.

The ride back to the Burrow seemed to take forever. While Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione talked a lot about Fred and George's shop, Leila's thoughts drifted elsewhere. As she rested her head against the cool window, she thought of Cedric...and of Malfoy...and of the impending darkness that was to come. All of them were just pieces to the puzzle and they had to wait to see what the picture would turn out to be.

* * *

 **Author's Note: That was actually pretty quick for me...less than a week! haha. We'll be heading back to Hogwarts next chapter! :) Thanks for all the support, it truly means a lot to me. What do you think of the new banner change?**

* * *

 _The photograph the Weasley twins posted in their shop is on leila's tumblr (leilapotter) Feel free to check it out!_


	7. A Journey to Hogwarts

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 7: A Journey to Hogwarts**

The sun was beginning to set and Mrs Weasley's voice calling for dinner echoed through the air as Leila leaned forward against her broom on the eve before she was supposed to head back to Hogwarts. To be honest, Leila was rather impartial about going back to Hogwarts this year. Normally, at this time of the year she was excited to get back there; but things just seemed different this year. Something had changed and she wasn't exactly sure what. Had she changed? But in her recollection, she couldn't pinpoint an exact moment where everything had changed. Maybe she was in the process of change? Either way, she knew better than to hope for a normal year at Hogwarts-something was bound to go wrong.

Leila slowly exhaled as Ginny pulled her broom up beside her, wiping the hair that had carelessly fallen from her messy bun. The two girls had taken to playing Quidditch as much as possible knowing full well that when they returned to Hogwarts, they would be expected to be rivals on the field rather than friends or teammates. "We should probably go before Mum gives our food to Ron," Ginny joked; but Leila knew there was a hint of truth to her words.

"I'm going to miss it here," Leila sighed. "Granted, I won't miss seeing Granger; but I'll miss the rest of it."

"We'll be back here for Christmas before you know it." Leila nodded her head before she and Ginny descended and then dismounted their brooms. The girls slowly trudged back to the Burrow where Mrs Weasley stood on the back steps with her hands on her hips.

"You two best hurry and wash up. I want one nice meal before you're all back at Hogwarts," Mrs Weasley said.

"But Mum, we aren't _all_ going back to Hogwarts. You'll still have Fleur's company to enjoy," Ginny teased her mother before sprinting inside so that her mother's waving arms wouldn't be able to reach her.

"I'm sure you'll find some way to manage to survive with her," Leila commented before attempting to walk past Mrs Weasley. The Potter girl could have sworn she heard the older woman say she would much prefer _her_ as a daughter-in-law; but Leila pretended she hadn't heard the woman and walked over to the kitchen sink to wash her hands. She then made her way to the table and sat beside Ginny as Mrs Weasley brought the shepherd's pie to the table.

Dinner was a rather somber affair. Mrs Weasley sat watching the clock worriedly as she waited for Mr Weasley to return home. Fleur was doing her best to distract Mrs Weasley by talking about how she worried about Bill, but that only seemed to insult Mrs Weasley which increased the tension in the room. The four teenagers took quick note of this and ate quickly before escaping upstairs to Ron's room. Well, everyone except Ginny because Ron wouldn't let her in. "Ron, you're being a prat," Ginny argued from outside his door. Ron just leaned against his door and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go tell Mum."

"You do that," Ron responded from the other side of the door. Ginny shouted something in exasperation before her footsteps seemed to grow faint. Ron held up one finger to give him a minute before he dropped to the floor and looked through the crack. "I can still see you, you know." Ginny screamed in frustration at her brother before she actually walked back downstairs and Ron sat back up. "That should get rid of her for a while."

"Why'd you have to get rid of Ginny?" Leila asked, although in the pit of her stomach she had a good guess as to why.

"Because you've been avoiding this conversation since we left Diagon Alley," Harry said crossing his arms. Leila gave Harry a glance like she had no idea what he was talking about. "Malfoy-we need to talk about Malfoy."

"You three can discuss him all you like. I on the other hand don't want to spend my last night away from Malfoy talking about him."

"Leila, we could really use your perspective," Hermione started. "You know Draco better than the rest of us-so maybe you could explain what he was doing." Leila's mouth was slightly agape for a second before she realized that Hermione didn't agree with Harry on the subject. But before Leila could say anything, Harry started speaking.

"You're telling me that you don't think it's the least bit suspicious?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I mean, I think the whole thing is fishy; but I think we have to agree that there are plenty of explanations. To be honest, I thought we all _had_ agreed this."

"Well _we_ didn't. Leila, do you think something's going on?"

"I-I don't know," Leila stammered. "I don't see why I qualify as an expert on Malfoy."

"If you really must know…" Hermione began in her know-it-all attitude. "You're in the same House as him, the same classes as him, you two have prefect duties together…"

"Not to mention that he's fancied you since forever," Ron said with a shrug. "Everyone knows that."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he doesn't fancy me anymore," Leila shot back before adding, "Thank Merlin for that."

"That very well may be, but you of all people would know if he's been acting odd," Hermione argued.

"Well, I wouldn't really know because aside from our little escapade, I haven't seen him since last year." Leila wasn't sure why she lied to them. She didn't really have a rhyme or reason to it-she just did it. It was probably because she wanted to be done with this conversation; but there were other ways to end a conversation and instead she lied to her brother. She looked over at him and he just nodded his head. He didn't seem to find fault with what she said which caused Leila to bite down on her bottom lip. Leila then sat down on the end of Ron's bed. "What makes you lot so sure something's up with him? Aside from what we saw of course, which really wasn't much of anything."

"When you were off with your snake friend in Diagon Alley," Ron started to which Leila narrowed her eyes slightly. ' _Greengrass-_ while you were off with Greengrass. Well, we ran into Malfoy at Madam Malkins. He was getting fitted and Mummy provoked Harry and then they left."

"That's hardly anything surprising and to be honest, the surprising part in all of this is that it wasn't much worse." Leila turned toward her brother. "You of all people know what that family is capable of and yet you still choose to act like an arse."

"It was weeks ago, Leils," Harry groaned before continuing. "But, you're saying Malfoy is capable of something like this?"

"Capable of what exactly?"

"Harry's under the impression that Draco Malfoy is now a Death Eater," Hermione sighed as she sat down a few feet away from Leila on Ron's bed.

"You're serious?" Leila asked looking at her brother. He refused to meet her gaze for a few moments but then he looked at his sister and slowly nodded. "You're serious," Leila repeated as a statement. There was a moment of silence and Leila wasn't sure what to think. While part of her wanted to agree with Harry, she didn't want to do so until she was absolutely sure. If there was one thing that annoyed Leila about her brother was that he could become overly paranoid and obsessed with something without much proof. Leila on the other hand preferred to be almost 100% sure about something before she committed to it. Leila looked over to Ron who shrugged his shoulders at Leila.

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" Harry questioned.

"Harry we've been over this-Malfoy a Death Eater? What would You-Know-Who want with a sod like Malfoy?" Ron groaned.

"It does seem very unlikely, Harry," Hermione added, not willing to make eye contact with him.

"Just think about it. He's replaced his father as a Death Eater," Harry argued. "It makes sense, right Leila?"

"Not really-why would Voldemort recruit a sixteen year old?" Leila scoffed.

"But Sirius said that his brother, Regulus…"

"That was different. The Blacks-aside from Sirius, were in good standing with Voldemort. The Malfoys aren't. Unless you have other concrete evidence, I'm going to have to side with Ron and Granger on this one."

"Well-that day in Madam Malkins, remember it Hermione? Ron?" Leila watched as Granger gave a shrug of her shoulders and Ron's head kind of bobbled about, unsure of how he wanted to answer. So, with a groan, Harry continued. "She barely even touched his left arm and he jerked away from her. He's got to have the Dark Mark branded there on his arm."

Leila pursed her lips for a moment thinking back to when she was in Twilfitt and Tattings with him. She had reached for his left arm and he had instantly recoiled from her touch. But Harry had to be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time Harry was wrong about something. In fact, Harry was wrong and paranoid about things quite a bit and to be honest, Leila hoped that Harry was wrong this time. "Maybe Madam Malkins accidentally pricked him?" Leila suggested. "It wouldn't be the first time that's happened."

"Besides, I think he just wanted to get out of there because we were there," Granger tacked on. The bushy-haired girl shifted uncomfortably from her spot on Ron's bed.

"Have you lot honestly forgotten what happened in Bourgin and Burkes?" Harry questioned them. "It was an initiation."

"You really think Voldemort is stupid enough to have an initiation in the middle of broad daylight where just about anyone can walk in on it?" Leila questioned. "Besides, he wasn't even there-remember that?"

"How can I? I was too busy worrying about you. Have you told Dumbledore about your visions yet?"

Leila narrowed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Even Ron and Hermione seemed surprised by the news that Leila was having visions too. She slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding as her brother's friends looked to her for some answers. Leila chose to ignore them and instead spoke, glaring daggers at her brother. "No-and that's none of your concern."

"I beg to differ, so I did tell him. I wrote him this morning-you've had more than enough time."

"You're a prat, you know that?" By this point, Leila was on her feet. She angrily reached across Ron's bed for the pillow as Granger dove to the floor, thinking she was the intended target. Leila whacked Harry with Ron's pillow before she stomped toward the door. She flung it open, nailing Ron, causing him to howl in pain before she continued her descent with steam practically pouring out of her ears. "He had absolutely no right," she muttered to herself. "None whatsoever."

Leila continued to stomp down the stairs muttering to herself until she came to a landing where Ginny was standing looking downstairs. Ginny seemed startled to see Leila at first, but she could tell that something was wrong. "You too, huh?"

"Brothers are the most insufferable creatures."

"I know that all-too-well. But watch, I'm about to get revenge on mine in…." Ginny held up three fingers with a grin on her face. "Three" Two fingers. "Two." One finger. "One."

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Mrs Weasley's voice boomed through the entire house. "YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

Leila looked to Ginny, with a slight look of terror in her eyes. She knew Ginny was capable of far more than her brothers usually gave her credit for. "What did you do?" Leila whispered. Ginny didn't spill many details about what she had done; but Leila knew it involved one of the "candies" from Fred and George and a note Ginny forged to be from Ron. Quick footsteps from up above began to grown louder until Ron was finally visible dashing down the stairs. He completely ignored both Ginny and Leila as he ran past them and headed downstairs. Ginny winked at Leila who opened the door to the room she shared with Harry and finished packing her trunk for tomorrow's journey to Hogwarts.

The next morning, Leila awoke to the sounds of Harry hurriedly packing his trunk. With the blankets pulled up almost to her face, Leila watched her brother. She hadn't talked to him since she had stormed out of Ron's room last night. He had tried to talk to her before they went to bed; but she pretended to be asleep, even though Harry knew she wasn't asleep. Leila released a loud sigh which caused Harry to turn to look at her with socks dangling from his shoulders and a cauldron in his hands. Leila rolled her eyes at him and slowly sat up.

"You're not still mad, are you?" Harry asked innocently.

"Honestly?" Leila asked him back to which her brother responded by slowly nodding his head. "No. I'm not mad. I should be pissed as hell for you going behind my back like that; but for some reason I'm not."

"I just worry about you, Leila. I'm only looking out for you."

"I know." Not really in the mood to continue the conversation, Leila threw the covers from her body. The blankets landed on Roman who meowed and darted into Harry's trunk. Leila smirked as Roman began burrowing in Harry's trunk, causing his belongings to go flying out of it and onto the floor. She slowly crossed the room to use the bathroom, but before she left she looked over her shoulder at her brother. "You might want to hurry up. I expect we'll be leaving soon."

"Well, I was almost packed until your bloody cat…" Harry stopped what he was about to say and grabbed Roman. He lifted the cat in the air, so that it's long furry black body was dangling before he tossed Roman on the bed Leila had been using. Harry then turned toward Roman who looked about ready to pounce back into Harry's trunk. "Stay," Harry warned with a finger raised.

With a chuckle, Leila left the room knowing full-well that Harry was going to eventually have to surrender to a cat. Leila's barefeet padded across the hardwood floorboards toward the bathroom that was already occupied. She knocked on the door; but Granger was getting ready inside. Leila rolled her eyes and sat down on the floor across from the bathroom door rather impatiently waiting for Granger to finish whatever it was she was doing in there. It's not like whatever she was doing was going to help matters any. After what seemed like an eternity, Granger finally exited the bathroom and Leila was able to use it before heading back to the room. She found Harry still frantically packing his trunk, his belongings more strewn across the room and her trunk open, with Roman snuggled on a pile of her clothes still neatly packed.

"Your cat hates me," Harry groaned as he rolled one of his Hogwarts robes into a ball.

"I trained him well," Leila chuckled before bending down and placing a kiss on the top of Roman's head. "Good kitty." She gently pulled out a dark green sweater and a pair of jeans from her trunk, careful not to disturb Roman's slumber before she changed for the day.

Once downstairs, Mrs Weasley had a simple breakfast prepared for them. The Weasley matriarch told Leila that Mr Weasley would make sure her trunk got to the car, which Leila was thankful for. There was no possible way she would be able to haul her trunk down that many flights of stairs without dying or maiming herself...or Roman. As Leila ate her cinnamon sugar toast at the table, she watched two cars driving toward the Burrow. Once again, the Ministry had loaned them cars for their excursion. Although, this time they needed more than one car with five Hogwarts trunks needing to be toted along too.

With a bite of toast in her mouth, Leila called for her brother. He came downstairs looking more disheveled than the last time she had seen him. "Your bloody cat…" he started.

"Is awesome," Leila quipped. Suddenly, there was a popping noise and Mr Weasley apparated onto the doorstep outside before greeting the drivers of the vehicles. He had been working late again, but he had promised to see them off at Kings Cross station. As Harry picked up a piece of toast, Leila walked closer toward the window to get a better look outside. "It seems strange, doesn't it?" Harry's expression told her that he didn't know what she was talking about. "All the special treatment we get here. I mean-you're just Harry...and I'm just Leila. That's all."

"Yeah, it's strange; but we don't really have much of a choice in the matter," Harry said with a bite of toast in his mouth as he walked closer toward his sister. "Besides, I think it's kind of nice for the Weasleys, you know?" Leila nodded her head. She did agree with him there. The Weasleys had certainly benefited in some aspects being connected with the Potter twins; but sometimes Leila couldn't help but wonder at what cost?

Mr Weasley walked inside and greeted the Potter twins as Mrs Weasley called for him to come upstairs. With a nod of his head, he headed upstairs, no doubtedly to take care of their Hogwarts trunks. Leila soon followed behind him to grab her shoulder bag and Roman before she headed outside to the cars. She stood back and watched as Harry and Ron climbed into one of the cars before waiting to see which car Granger was going to crawl into. Leila did not want to spend another car ride with Granger, so she was going to take whichever car Granger didn't. The know-it-all girl must have recognized what Leila was doing, because surprisingly she climbed into the other car with Ginny. Leila couldn't help but wonder if the girl had done it on purpose; but without saying anything she crawled into the car with Harry and Ron. Roman sat purring on Leila's lap as the car pulled away from the Burrow headed in the direction of King's Cross Station.

When they finally arrived at King's Cross Station, they were met by four cross-looking Aurors. Two were there to escort Harry and two were there to escort Leila. It was embarrassing to be honest-even the Muggles were beginning to watch them as Mr Weasley loaded Leila's trunk onto her trolley. The Aurors seemed to pay no mind to the Muggles and instead directed the Potters inside. Harry and his Aurors led the group through the station followed by the Weasleys and Leila and her Aurors brought up the rear. Thankfully, the Muggles inside didn't seem as terribly interested in what was going on as the ones outside did; so Leila was able to discreetly pass through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. Once she was through the barrier, she found herself in a sea of Hogwarts students and their family members. White whisps of smoke billowed from the scarlet red engine of the Hogwarts Express.

Ahead of her, Mr and Mrs Weasley were helping the others get their belongings onto the train. Leila stopped in her tracks for a moment with a feeling that she was being watched. She ignored the Auror who told her to keep moving as her eyes scanned the crowded platform. She spotted many of her classmates; but the feeling that someone was watching her was confirmed when she spotted the icy eyes of Draco Malfoy on her. When he noticed her quizzically looking at him, he quickly turned his gaze away and embraced his mother. Mrs Malfoy clung tightly to her son whispering something in his ear; but Draco seemed almost void of emotion. It was a strange sight to see-it was almost as if he were trying to hide what he was feeling. But Leila was suddenly pushed forward by one of her Aurors, causing her to break contact with the Malfoys. By the time she was at the train and looked in their direction again, the Parkinsons and Zabinis had congregated among the Malfoys. But what slightly terrified Leila was Mrs Malfoy's stern gaze on _her_. Not wanting to relive another encounter with the woman, Leila grabbed Roman and her shoulder bag before walking away to catch up with the rest of her group.

The Weasleys, Harry, and Granger were standing a few yards away beside the entrance to one of the cars. Harry eyed Leila somewhat suspiciously, "What took you so long?" To which Leila just rolled her eyes and gently pet Roman. Knowing he wasn't going to get much more of an answer than that, he sighed before changing the subject. "We should probably find a carriage before they all fill up."

"Sorry, Harry. Ron, Leila, and I have to go to the prefects' carriage first for a meeting," Granger stated.

"Forgot 'bout that."

"I wish I had," Leila groaned. "Torture. It's going to be pure torture. Which is why you're going to have come up with something to give me an excuse to leave, Harry."

"Me too," Ron whispered with his hand over his mouth so that Hermione could see; but she still managed to hear him and rolled her eyes.

"That's not going to work," Granger commented. "You'll both be going and I'll see to it myself."

"Do you have to be such a killjoy, Granger?" Leila groaned but her words didn't seem to phase the know-it-all Gryffindor girl. Instead, Granger just blinked slowly at Leila causing the Potter girl to roll her eyes. "Fine, I'll come find you when the meeting's done, Harry."

Ron said that he was going to do the same, but Granger immediately squashed that hope, "You can't, Ron. We have first patrol."

"Since when?" Granger tried to rationalize to Ron that taking the first patrol was better because they got it out of the way. To which Ron only argued that she had signed them up without his knowledge, but Granger still held her ground. "But what about Harry?" Ron argued. "He's going to be all alone now." Leila looked at Ron with her eyes wide. Hadn't she just said...but Ron must've known what she was going to say. "I'm just trying to get out of this prefect thing," Ron whispered to Leila out of the corner of his mouth.

"I heard that, Ron."

Ron rolled his eyes and pretended to mimic Hermione. Leila tried to suppress a giggle which came out as a snort. Granger turned toward her with narrowed eyes before she shook her head and boarded the train. Leila and Ron followed behind Hermione. She took one last look back for her brother; but she found him talking with Mr Weasley a few feet away from Mrs Weasley who was frantically waving at them. Leila tried to read her brother's lips and she could have sworn she saw him say Draco Malfoy, but Mr Weasley changed his position so that he was now blocking Leila's view of her brother. Honestly, she wished Harry would just drop the whole Draco thing-otherwise he was going to obsess about it all year until either he was proven right or ultimately, wrong. Leila had enough of getting into trouble for the last five years because of her brother...well, at least _serious_ trouble-a detention or two never hurt anyone.

"Leila, you coming?" Ron asked, paused in the doorway. Leila nodded her head and followed him inside the train car. They walked side by side pushing through the other students as they made their way to the prefects' carriage. Ron shook his hair out of his face before he spoke again,"When's your patrol?"

"Dunno," Leila said with a shrug of her shoulders, adjusting her bag. "I wrote back asking for any time _but_ the time Malfoy put down."

"You're terrible, you know that?"

"Hey, if I'm going to be miserable patrolling with Malfoy, he might as well be miserable too. At least, that's my philosophy anyway."

Ron chuckled before he opened the sliding door to the prefects' carriage. Leila followed him inside and much to her surprise, there was no sight of her sixth year Slytherin counterpart. So, she sat down beside Ron as Roman cuddled on her lap. "So, how long you think this one will go?" Ron whispered.

Leila scanned the compartment and noticed that the Headboy was Gryffindor Jason Swann and Headgirl was Ravenclaw Felicity Eastchurch. She mulled it over for a moment before leaning toward Ron and whispering, "For sure longer than last year's meeting. Hour and a half?"

"My money's on at least two."

"Will you two stop it; you're being rather immature," Granger hissed from the other side of Ron. Leila and Ron looked to each other and shook their heads, trying to hide the smiles on their faces.

The train suddenly lurched forward and they were off. Felicity Eastchurch looked down at the watch on her wrist before getting up and walking into the corridor for a moment. She walked back in with a rather frustrated expression on her face and she was looking straight at Leila. "Potter, where's Malfoy?"

"Why would I know?" Leila questioned. She wanted to ask why everyone always asked _her_ about Malfoy; but she refrained from going that far.

"Because he's your partner."

"Maybe he decided to quit. It wouldn't surprise me."

"Well, if he's has decided to no longer be a prefect he hasn't owled Hogwarts about it. So, as of right now he's still _your_ partner and when you do your rounds, I expect you to fill him in on everything."

"Do I have to? Can't you do it?" Felicity raised an eyebrow for a moment and looked directly at Leila before she moved on without saying another word. "Fine, but it shouldn't be _my_ job," Leila muttered to herself as Jason began doling out the duties to the new fifth year prefects.

The meeting was, as expected, unusually boring-only this year, they had even more things to discuss. Apparently, the Ministry had upped security at Hogwarts and the prefects were going to be responsible for even more duties to help protect the castle. The entire time Leila sat there, she could only think about how angry she was that Malfoy wasn't in attendance. First she had gone from being relieved that he wasn't there to being angry that she was going to have to repeat everything to the ferret. She was definitely going to give the prat a piece of her mind-no matter what his mummy had told her.

The only thing kept the meeting somewhat interesting was watching how many times Ron would fall asleep and then wake up. Several times Granger elbowed a sleeping Ron to pay attention and he would startle back away. Leila elbowed him a time or two just for pure enjoyment. After about the twelfth time Ron had been awoken, the never-ending meeting finally came to a close. Leila breathed a _thank Merlin_ under her breath when they were finally allowed to leave. She checked when she was supposed to patrol the train with Malfoy before she followed Ron and Granger out of the compartment.

"That meeting was worse than last year," Ron groaned.

"How would you know? You were asleep for more than half of it," Leila retorted.

"Which wasn't very responsible, Ronald," Granger added. "Honestly, it's for our own protection. The Ministry wants to make sure Hogwarts is safe for its students. You weren't setting a very good example in there."

"Well, at least _I_ managed to show up," Ron said. "Unlike _someone's_ partner."

"He does have a point there," Leila offered. Ron sniggered and even Granger managed a smile before she shook her head. Leila winked in Ron's direction before chuckling herself.

"C'mon, Ron, we should start at the front of the train and work our way back," Granger said.

"Do we have to, Hermione?" Ron groaned. Leila pointed at him and pretended to laugh before she told him to have fun patrolling. Ron was practically dragged to the front of the train by Granger as Leila walked away on a search to find her brother's compartment.

Leila searched every compartment as she walked down the long train corridor. Roman begged to be let down, so, she let him go in the Slytherin compartment before she ran into several first years in need of directions to the train's lavatory. Begrudgingly, she pointed them in the right direction and then continued walking.

Passing by several more compartments, Leila had a rather awkward encounter with Cho Chang. Both girls stood there silently facing each other. Leila had several reasons for not liking Chang. Her dislike of Chang has started when they became rivals for Cedric Diggory's attention, Leila's fourth year. Granted, Leila and Cedric had been friends longer; but it was Chang he had taken to the Yule Ball and that never sat right with Leila. Then last year, Chang went after Harry. It seemed as if the girl insisted on making Leila's life miserable. Leila sighed and folded her arms over her chest and impatiently tapped her foot. Chang groaned before side-stepping Leila and moving around her. Leila held her head high before she continued walking.

Leave it it Harry to take the last compartment of the train-she really should have known better. When Leila finally crossed the threshold into her brother's compartment, she found that he was keeping company with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. Luna stared dreamily out the window, but Neville made eye contact with her for a moment before breaking it off. Leila smirked, "Well, well, if it isn't Neville Longbottom."

"Leila," Neville said as he closed her Herbology book and stood up. He awkwardly hugged Leila before he sat back down with his face aflame. Leila smiled before she looked curiously at a stack of Quibbler's in Luna's hands. After last year, the Quibbler had become a bestselling newspaper thanks to the interview she and Harry had given to Rita Skeeter was published in it.

Leila snapped her fingers for Luna to look at her; but she didn't immediately respond. The blonde girl still seemed to be staring off into the distance. Leila had always found Luna to be quite odd; but that was probably what she liked most about Luna. "Luna," Leila called waving her hand for the girl to see her. Luna finally turned toward Leila with a smile and said something about finding Wrackspurts before facing the window once more. Leila looked between Harry and Neville. "What's a Wrackspurt?" Both the boys just shrugged their shoulders and Leila nodded her head slowly knowing that she was probably better off _not_ knowing.

The Potter girl plopped down on the seat beside her brother and curled up, resting her feet on the seat before she asked Neville how his summer had been. To be honest, Leila hadn't written him over the summer. They were friends of course, but they were still rather new in their friendship. It was Dumbledore's Army that had finally brought about the friendship. For years Neville had been very wary of her, understandably so. She was a Slytherin...a Slytherin who was friends with a Greengrass who was friend's with a Malfoy who tormented Neville relentlessly. Honestly, she felt bad for what Malfoy did to Neville; but her reasons for not stepping in too often were purely selfish ones. If she did, then Malfoy would bother her and at the time, it was better Neville than her.

When their patrol was finally over, Hermione and Ron joined them in the compartment. Ron groaned for Leila to move over toward her brother before he practically plopped his arse right on top of her. Leila pushed him away, but he didn't budge. He was a solid lump beside her. Without saying anything, Luna stood up, reached for her stack of Quibblers and exited the compartment. Ron looked over to Leila, "What's with her?"

"You should know by know that with Luna you only get more questions than answers," Leila responded. "Now move over, you're squishing me." Ron rolled his eyes and moved over a bit. He then decided that was an appropriate time to start another discussion about Malfoy, to which Leila angrily growled, "Can we please talk about something other than _him_? You lot can discuss him as much as you want when I'm not around you and forced to be around him. Please let me enjoy my final hours of freedom."

Everyone in the compartment looked at Leila before they nodded their heads. Harry's nod was rather reluctant and Leila knew the second she was out of the compartment they were going to discuss Malfoy. But for now, they weren't. Although that reprieve was short-lived when a timid-looking third year Ravenclaw knocked on the glass outside of the compartment. The door was open, but the girl still stood there shaking. She was shaking so bad it was almost comical...almost. Leila had to elbow Ron to stop him from snickering at the girl. Ron then eblowed her back. An irritated Granger stood up and walked over to the girl. "Can we help you?" Granger asked the girl.

The girl stammered something about needing to deliver something to Neville, Harry, and Leila. Hermione outstretched her hand for the girl to put the envelopes in her hand; but Leila snatched them away before they were in Granger's hand. The young girl's eyes widened before she quickly scurried away from the compartment. "Was that really necessary?" Granger asked Leila.

Leila simply shrugged her shoulders before she passed Harry and Neville their envelopes and kept her own. Leaning against the wall of the compartment, Leila opened her envelope to find that it was an invitation to join Professor Slughorn for lunch in compartment C. Knowing the little she did about Professor Slughorn, she knew he was interested in making good connections to people. She understood why she and Harry were invited; but what she didn't understand was why Neville was invited. Honestly, if he was looking to make good connections he would have been better off inviting Granger than Neville. Not that Leila was interested in making any sort of connection with Granger.

Ron suddenly snatched Leila's invitation from her hand and read it over for himself. Even Granger seemed interested, although she tried to make it look like she didn't care. "You going?" Ron asked as he tossed the letter back at Leila.

"Probably should," Harry responded. "New teacher after all."

"It's not like we haven't met him already," Leila scoffed.

"It's not going to hurt anything to go, Leila." Harry then reached up and grabbed something from the rack. "Besides, maybe we can get a peek at what Malfoy is up to."

"No. Absolutely not. There will be no _we_ creeping on Malfoy. I'm going to avoid him as long as possible." With every word she spoke, Leila jabbed her brother in the chest with her pointer finger. "Got it?"

Harry reluctantly nodded his head before he put his cloak back on the rack. Leila muttered the words _thank you_ before she exited the compartment with Neville following close behind her. Harry took a few extra seconds because without her knowledge, he slipped his invisibility cloak into his back pocket in case he needed to use it-with or without Leila's help. Much to Harry's chagrin, there wasn't an opportune moment to whip out his cloak because there were too many people in the corridor for him to sneak off. So instead, he followed his sister to compartment C.

When they arrived at Slughorn's compartment, they were greeted rather enthusiastically by their new professor as Neville managed to timidly slip by them. When Professor Slughorn finally released Leila's hand that he had shaken a dozen times, Leila looked about the compartment for anyone else she might recognize. In the far corner of the compartment, Leila recognized her fellow Slytherin Blaise Zabini. She nodded at him and he gave her a return nod. They weren't exactly friends; but they weren't enemies either. Just Housemates. On her way toward her Slytherin Housemate she recognized Cormac McLaggen and Marcus Belby; but what surprised her most was seeing Ginny standing there smiling at her. Thank Merlin. Leila aborted her path toward Zabini and walked toward Ginny instead.

"Thank Merlin you're here," Leila whispered. "I almost had to subject myself to Zabini's company. Not quite as bad as Malfoy, but bad enough."

"Glad to be of service," Ginny said shaking her head.

"How'd you get an invitation?"

"Professor Slughorn saw me hex Zacharias Smith. The git was being rather rude and annoying so I used a Bat-Bogey hex on him. Slughorn saw the whole thing and then invited me here instead of giving me detention."

"I wish I could have gotten out of detention when I used that hex. Malfoy deserved it every single time I used it on him."

"How many times have you used it on him?"

Leila paused for a moment and began to count on her fingers before she began to chew on her bottom lip. "Lost count-I think more than a dozen. Maybe you should ask him. He might remember better than me."

Ginny sniggered just as Professor Slughorn approached them. The girls instantly straightened their stance; but Slughorn chuckled that there was no need for that and he just wanted them to find a seat at the table. The girls made sure to sit together and Leila was surprised when Zabini took the other seat beside her which didn't go unnoticed by Harry. Leila's brother glared their direction which both of the Slytherins ignored.

After a few minutes of awkward small talk, the grueling interrogation process began. Having watched Muggle cop shows, Leila almost felt like she was on one of them the way Slughorn was questioning them. He was obviously trying to figure out what each of them was worth to him and whether or not they were an investment worthy of pursuit. Slughorn first started with Marcus Belby and his estranged uncle, which must have hit a sour note with the old man because he quickly moved on to a new student: Cormac McLaggen. The conversation seemed to linger for quite some time on Cormac and _his_ uncle, who got on much better than Marcus and his uncle. After Slughorn seemed satisfied with Cormac's answers, he moved on to Blaise Zabini and his connection was his mother. Blaise answered each of Slughorn's questions with a cool, calm, and collected demeanor which seemed to intrigue the old man. Leila sipped on her goblet of pumpkin juice in front of her. She had no desire to be questioned by the man; but he moved on to her next.

Slughorn's eyes then looked excitedly between Harry and Leila before he said, "The Potter twins-where to begin?" Leila muttered something rather rude under her breath before he continued in Harry's direction. "And Harry m'boy, they're calling you "The Chosen One" these days." Slughorn was practically grinning from ear to ear; but Harry simply remained silent. "I mean, of course there have been rumors for year...I remember when-well-after that terrible night-Lily-James." Slughorn stopped for a moment and put his hand over his heart. "But then you both survived. Word was that you both must have extraordinary powers and from what I've heard down the grapevine it looks like rumors might be true."

Zabini coughed on purpose, so Leila elbowed him in the ribs. He turned and looked to her and slightly narrowed his eyes while Slughorn kept going on about Harry...and Leila. Zabini then moved his arms so that they rested gently on the table as Leila pulled her soft curls behind her ears. She couldn't decide what was worse torture: the prefects' meeting or this meeting? Honestly, they both seemed equally torturous; but when Leila looked at the watch on Zabini's wrist she thanked her lucky stars. It was her turn to patrol the train which was far better than listening to some old man drone on about her brother...and her.

"Excuse me, sir," Leila interrupted and Slughorn stared at her somewhat dumbfoundedly. One the inside she was mentally rolling her eyes; but she knew there was something about Slughorn important to the cause. So, Leila put a fake smile on her face and tried to act as polite as she could. "I'm going to have to ask to excuse myself, sir. I'm a prefect for Slytherin and this is my scheduled time to patrol the corridors. Maybe I please be excused?"

"Why-yes, yes of course," Slughorn stammered. "A prefect you say? Well, I don't want to keep you from your important duties, Miss Potter. You must be very accomplished to have been chosen as a prefect...especially for Slytherin, my, my. Now, if you ever have a moment to spare from your duties, please come and see me; won't you?"

"Of course, sir." Leila smiled a fake smile at her new professor before she stood up. Merlin, if looks could kill-then both Ginny and Harry were about ready to kill her. It was obvious they were enjoying this just as much as she was. Leila couldn't help but smirk as she exited the compartment and walked into the corridor. "Thank Merlin that's over."

Not wanting to subject herself to any more torture, Leila decided to patrol the train without Malfoy. To be honest, she was glad for a few moments to herself. There were times when she just needed to be by herself and not surrounded by others. The Muggles would probably call her introverted; but it didn't really matter, did it? She was who she was. For the most part, her patrol was fairly routine. Nothing too out of the ordinary aside from a couple snogging in the middle of the corridor near the lavatory where the first years stood and watched.

Leila walked up to them. "Really? Here of all place? Really?" But the couple didn't seem to pay her any heed. She had come across this couple last year when she had been patrolling with Malfoy for students out of bed. He was much more menacing than she was at breaking-up snogging late night snogging sessions. Leila pushed up her sleeves and tapped one member of the couple on the shoulder. "Don't make me go get, Malfoy," she threatened. The couple instantly broke apart and headed back to their compartment. Leila breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't actually make her go get Malfoy. That probably would have been more cruel to her than to the couple.

When Leila's patrol was almost over, she ran into Flora and Hestia Carrow and talked with them for a spell. It made the final leg of her patrol less boring. Flora and Hestia were another set of twins going into sixth year. There were three sets of twins in their year: the Carrow twins, the Patil twins, and the Potter twins. Leila and Harry were by far the most well known twins; but Leila didn't let that go to her head. Apparently, the Carrow twins had spent the summer abroad, which intrigued Leila. While Hogwarts was a fair ways away, she had never really been out of the country before. Someday...maybe, she would.

After Leila had finished her patrol, she made her way back to her shoulder bag and grabbed her Slytherin robes before changing into them in the lavatory. She had barely gotten her clothes back into her trunk when Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back outside the compartment. "What do you want now?" Leila groaned.

"I need your help," Harry said in a quiet voice. Leila rolled her eyes. Of course he wanted her help. He always wanted her help when he was up to something stupid.

"With what exactly?"

"I need you to go to the Slytherin compartment." Leila knew there was more to it than just that. She motioned for Harry to keep going with her hand. Harry looked back into the compartment before he turned his back to it. "I need you to sneak _me_ in there."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing in there?" Leila didn't need to ask to know what he wanted to do. She already _knew_ what he wanted to do; but for some reason she needed to hear it for herself. "Any time now."

"I want to see what Malfoy is up to. They either won't let me in the compartment or they won't act normally if they know I'm in there."

"And what if I don't _want_ to sneak you in?"

"Leila, please?"

"You promise you'll leave me alone about him then?" Harry mulled Leila's request over for a minute before he nodded his head agreeing to her terms. "Fine. I need to go get Roman anyway."

"Thanks, I owe you." Harry wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder and she looked at him incredulously.

"You think? You're going to be indebted to me for the rest of your life after all the things I've done for you, Harry Potter."

 _ **~*~Flashback to 2nd year~*~**_

 _Without really wanting to, Leila had become an intricate part of the Golden Trio's plan to sneak into the Slytherin common room to interrogate Malfoy. It had taken nearly a week of coaxing her before she finally agreed to join them. Surprisingly, Granger actually needed Leila's help in brewing the Polyjuice Potion that the three Gryffindors would drink. After a month of brewing a potion, that was much too complex for your average second year to brew, it was finally done and it was time to sneak the Gryffindors into the Slytherin common room under guises that Malfoy would talk to. Leila stood in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, leaning against one of the sinks as she waited for the Gryffindors to show up. They were late. Finally, the three of them came running into the bathroom to find Leila standing there with her arms folded across her chest._

" _Sorry we're late," Harry apologized._

" _Let's just get this over with," Leila sighed. "Who's changing into whom?"_

" _Ron and Harry will be Crabbe and Goyle and I have a hair from Millicent Bulstrode's robes," Granger commented._

" _You would take a hair from one of the girls who doesn't like me much, wouldn't you?" Granger opened her mouth to speak, but Harry groaned his sister's name to which she rolled her eyes and sighed. "And the real people are taken care of?" The trio agreed that the people they were turning into had been disposed. Leila picked up a glass of the nasty-looking potion. "Drink up, then."_

 _The Gryffindor trio each took a glass of the potion that Leila had poured for them. Leila watched as they each drank the disgusting brew before they each took off in a sprint for a stall. She waited impatiently for them to come out; but eventually Ron and Harry came out looking like Crabbe and Goyle. Granger however decided to stay put in the bathroom. To be honest, Leila was rather glad to be shot of the annoying Gryffindor know-it-all and brother stealer; so she led Harry and Ron downstairs to the dungeons._

 _They were about to round the last corner when Percy Weasley caught sight of them. Of all the people to catch them...it had to be him. It wasn't that she didn't like Percy, at the time, it was the fact that he was intelligent enough to know that something was off in finding Crabbe and Goyle with Leila Potter. "Are they coercing you into something, Leila? You can tell me if they are."_

 _Well, technically, Harry and Ron had coerced her into something; but that probably wouldn't be the best thing to tell Percy. "No, just-just heading back to the common room," Leila said. "These two forgot the password and I was the first Slytherin they found. Didn't think they'd remember the password-so here we are. Everything's good. It's all good."_

 _Percy looked at Leila oddly, like he knew she was up to something, but he didn't get a chance to confront her about it because Malfoy swaggered down the corridor coming to the trio's rescue. "Crabbe! Goyle! Where have you two been? Pigging out in the Great Hall this whole time?" Malfoy questioned. Harry and Ron looked to each other and quickly nodded their heads in unison. "And Potter...what a pleasant surprise to see you."_

" _Sod off, Malfoy," Leila said rolling her eyes. In the corner of her eye, Leila could see Goyle-erm-Harry clench his hands into fists at how Malfoy treated his sister. But it was Percy who quickly came to her rescue._

" _Are you sure you'll be alright with them?" Percy asked._

" _I'll be fine. They're annoying not threatening." With that, Leila began to walk away down the corridor. Draco ran to catch up with her and Crabbe and Goyle-erm-Harry and Ron ran to catch up with the both of them._

 _Once inside the common room, Leila plopped down onto one of the sofas knowing that if she stayed there, then Malfoy would stay too. She didn't want to risk Harry and Ron going farther into the snake pit than necessary. Just as she suspected, Draco sat down beside her while fake Crabbe and Goyle sat down across from them. Leila inwardly cringed every time Crabbe and Goyle asked a question that sounded more like Harry and Ron; but Malfoy wasn't paying the boys enough attention to know they were imposters. Maybe it was because she was there; but Malfoy answered each of the boys' questions. Well, it was that or he was giving their stupidity the credit._

 _Malfoy admitted to the trio that he had no idea who the Heir of Slytherin was; but he relished the idea of the Heir continuing his "noble" work at Hogwarts. Leila, Crabbe, and Goyle shifted uncomfortably at this statement; but that wasn't the worst problem. The Gryffindor boys were beginning to return to their normal state-meaning the Polyjuice Potion was wearing off. Harry's features soon began to replace Goyle's and Ron's features Crabbe's. While Malfoy might not have been paying the boys much attention, there was no way he could miss this. The boys motioned for Leila to distract him. She shook her head no, but they both nodded their heads. Leila turned toward Malfoy and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He looked at her oddly, solely focused on her._

" _What is it?" Malfoy asked._

 _Leila had to think quickly. It was only a matter of seconds before she would lose his attention and he would notice the boys. An idea quickly popped into her head and she didn't like it one bit. She felt like she might vomit; but she didn't really have any other choice. Leila rested her hands on Draco's shoulders before she closed her eyes. She puckered her lips, leaned in, and gently brushed her lips against his cheek. Malfoy froze from her contact and his eyes widened in shock. Leila released him, making gagging sounds before she quickly ran from the room following behind Ron and Harry._

 _ **~*~ End Flashback~*~**_

Leila shuddered at the thought of that memory-but she knew that wasn't even the worst one she had. She then turned toward her brother, "I kissed that prat for you and believe me I've regretted it ever since. Right after that was when I found out Malfoy fancied me and he thought I fancied him back." She shuddered aloud once more.

"It's your own damn fault that was all you could come up with," Harry argued, but it was obvious he found it amusing. Not the Leila kissing Malfoy part-but the fact Leila was so traumatized from it.

"I was twelve." Leila said flatly. She shuddered once again before they Potter twins continued their journey to the Slytherin compartment.

Leila's heart began to beat rapidly as they drew closer. If Malfoy caught Harry...well, she didn't want to think of the terrible things he was capable of. It wouldn't be good, that much was certain. When they passed the prefects' compartment, Leila told Harry to put his cloak on. He obeyed his sister's command before continuing to follow his sister. To say she was nervous about this plan would have been an understatement. It definitely wasn't a very well-thought-out plan; but Harry hadn't given her much of a choice.

The Potter girl ran her fingers through her dark curly hair before she sighed. "I'm going to argue with Malfoy to buy you some time. Where do you plan on hiding?"

"The overhead luggage compartment," Harry responded.

"Just be careful." Harry didn't respond to Leila's request, but she knew that he had heard her and was still following her. Honestly, she wished he would just forget this whole stupid thing; but it was Harry and she knew he wasn't going to. Leila took a deep breath before she flung open the compartment door. Many of her Housemates turned their attention toward her, but Leila quickly scanned the compartment and locked eyes on her target. "Malfoy!" she hissed.

Malfoy sat up to look at her from the seat he had been lounging in. He rolled his eyes at her before leaning his head back on Pansy's lap. "Go away, Potter," he sneered.

"Go away? I wish I could go away from you, you insufferable, ignorant prat; but I still happened to be partnered with you for prefect duty, lucky me."

"Are you deaf? I told you to go away."

"Have you suddenly gone blind and lame? We had a prefects' meeting this morning and we had patrol, neither of which you showed up for, you arse."

"If you're going to insist on throwing a temper tantrum, Potter, at least shut the door." He closed his eyes as Pansy gently ran her fingers through his hair. This made Leila want to vomit, but she had to buy Harry some time. She breathed slowly as her face contorted in anger.

"Shut the door? I'm not one of your house-elves you can lord over, Malfoy. If you want the door closed, shut the damn door yourself then." Leila stood there with her arms folded across her chest as she glared daggers at Malfoy. The blonde-haired boy sneered at her before he stood up. Leila looked down at his feet to see that Roman was curled up against them. "Traitor," she whispered down to her cat as Malfoy purposely rammed his shoulder into her, sending her flying onto Goyle.

Leila slapped at Goyle as she tried to get to her feet once more. She really hoped that Harry was taking advantage of this time to get into an opportune hiding spot. For a split-second, Leila thought she saw Harry's trainers. She could only hope that Malfoy hadn't seen this as well while he was walking back to his seat after slamming the door shut. With a scowl still attached to his face, Malfoy resumed his position resting on Pansy's lap. The sight still made her want to vomit; they were a disgusting pair to begin with. Leila knew the only reason Malfoy even started seeing Parkinson was to make _her_ jealous; but instead it just made her sick to her stomach. Granted, she didn't like Malfoy one bit; but she also knew that he could do a lot better than a piece of scum like Parkinson. When Leila realized that she had been staring at Malfoy, she blushed a bit, before she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "I want an answer, Malfoy," Leila said.

"For what? For why you're so bloody annoying?" Draco drawled. "I'm sure we could list off a hundred different reasons and that wouldn't even begin to cover it." Pansy snickered at Malfoy's response.

"Well, your list would be longer," Leila shot back. "But I'm not here to discuss who is more annoying. I want to know why you weren't at the meeting and why you didn't help me with our rounds."

"He happened to be with me," Pansy said once again stroking Draco's face.

"Last time I checked, you weren't on our list of duties." Someone sniggered behind her and Leila found Blaise Zabini strolling back into the compartment. She rolled her eyes at him. "Stay out of this, Zabini. This is between me and Malfoy."

"There's nothing between us, Potter," Malfoy hissed as he sat up once again.

"And there never will be, you filthy half-blood," Pansy tacked-on.

"Because I was so interested in….this," Leila said circling her finger in disgust over Malfoy before she shuddered. "Don't make me vomit-and _you_." Leila turned her gaze back to Malfoy. "You're still a prefect and I'm not going to cover your share of the work again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Shut up, Potter," Malfoy scoffed.

"I would, but I'm not done yelling at you yet."

"Then have a seat next to me," Zabini said from his spot across the table from Malfoy and Parkinson. "Please do-I haven't had this much entertainment all summer."

Leila looked hesitantly to Zabini, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the seat beside him. Malfoy narrowed his eyes once more at her before he fell back onto Pansy. Pansy then started pressing kisses against his Malfoy's face and Leila had to look away. She wanted to gag, but she had to remember that she was doing this for Harry. She looked down to see Roman rubbing against Malfoy's pant leg. "Roman," Leila hissed. He rubbed his face against Malfoy again. Leila snapped her fingers, but he continued to ignore her. This frustrated her because Roman had never been friendly to Malfoy before. She bent down and picked him up and placed him on her lap. "Bloody cat."

"Even your own cat can't stand you," Malfoy drawled.

"Ha-you're so funny. I had almost forgotten." Leila rolled her eyes at his comment.

Malfoy seemed to ignore her and instead he asked Zabini, "What'd Slughorn want?" Zabini looked to Leila, but she pretended not to meet his gaze as he explained that Slughorn was simply trying to make connections for personal gain in the Wizarding World. "Who else did he invite?"

"Why does it matter, Malfoy? You obviously weren't invited." Leila taunted.

"And you were?"

"Of course, I was. I'm Leila Potter, why wouldn't I be? I actually mean something to the Wizarding World...unlike the Malfoy name which means almost nothing." She didn't know why she was egging him on; but Malfoy closed his eyes at her taunting and then remained rather cool.

"Who else?" Zabini listed off those in attendance at the luncheon; but Malfoy immediately bolted into a sitting position upon hearing Neville Longbottom was invited. "He invited Longbottom? Why the hell would he invite Longbottom?"

"I think you're just jealous _you_ weren't invited."

"I think it's about time you learned your place, Potter."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've carelessly overlooked your loyalties in the past because I know _he's_ your brother and that I hoped you'd see the error of your ways. But it's about time you choose the right side here, instead of playing middle ground-that's going to get you dead either way."

"You think so, do you?"

"I know so." By this point, Leila was breathing heavily. Both she and Malfoy were leaning across the table inching toward each other. Their eyes locked for a moment, both of them seeming to forget about the other at the table. It was Malfoy who broke the silence first. "I've said my bit, now do us both a favor and leave me alone."

"Maybe I would if you weren't such an arse."

"I wouldn't have to be an arse if you would leave me alone." Leila was somewhat taken aback by this statement. She opened her mouth to say something, but for once she didn't have anything to say. Malfoy backed away from her and leaned against the back of the seat and drummed his fingers against the table.

"We'll be at Hogwarts soon, Draco," Pansy said, trying to get Draco's attention by reaching for his left arm. He let her touch it, but it was obvious he was trying not to flinch.

"Hogwarts, what a pathetic excuse for a school. I'd much rather pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower than have to be there for another two years." Leila's gut reaction was to comment that he should just do it; but something held her back. Instead, she just looked down at Roman and rubbed her finger against his nose. She then felt a sharp jab in her shin. Someone had kicked her. She looked to see that it had been Malfoy. "You are no longer welcome in this conversation, Potter. See yourself out."

"Gladly," Leila retorted as she stood up with Roman in her arms. Thankfully, she didn't have to walk very far because Daphne was at the table behind Malfoy's with Flora and Hestia. "Am I glad to see you three," Leila said as she sat down beside Daphne, who was seated in the direction facing Malfoy's table.

"What was that all about?" Daphne asked with a look of disappointment on her face.

"Hey, he started it."

"From what I saw... _you_ started it."

"By not showing up for our patrol, _he_ started it."

"Either way, you _both_ looked ready to kill each other back there. Which is odd because normally it's just _you_ ready to kill him."

"I told you, he's changed." Leila sighed and blew a stray tendril from her face before she rested her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

"You almost sound disappointed by that." Leila rolled her eyes at Daphne's comment. Disappointed that he changed? No. Disappointed that Harry might actually be onto something? Yes.

The train jerked and Leila thought she heard Harry groan, so she closed her eyes to pretend that it never happened. When she opened her eyes, Malfoy was leaning over into the aisle looking straight at her. For a split second, she was shocked; but his expression became easier to read when he pointed and looked up toward the luggage compartment before shaking his head. They had been caught. She pretended to not know what he was talking about, but he rolled his eyes and went back to his conversation. He said something about _The Dark Lord_ ; but Leila knew that it was on purpose for Harry to hear. He wasn't actually spilling anything-instead, he was trying to provoke Harry into revealing his hiding place.

The remainder of the trip was nerve-wracking for Leila as she sat there in silence hoping for her brother's safe return to his compartment. She tried to think of a way to get Harry off the train safely-meaning she was going to have to distract Malfoy once more. When the train finally pulled into Hogsmeade station, the students began pouring off the train. Leila stayed behind a moment to gather her wits before she went up to Malfoy again, who looked at her knowingly. She stopped in front of him and tried to force words out of her mouth, but nothing seemed to want to come out.

"What now, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.

Leila exhaled before she narrowed her eyes at him. "We have patrol after dinner and I expect that you'll be there this time...or I'll go to Snape," Leila said.

"I can't guarantee that I'll make it. I have something I need to attend to first."

Malfoy looked upward and then to Leila. Leila narrowed her eyes at him, hoping that Harry had managed to sneak out of the compartment; but she couldn't stay behind to find out. If she stayed, Malfoy would know for sure that she was in on Harry's plan. She was just going to have to hope that Harry could handle his own if he was caught. Leila walked out of the compartment and took once glance back to watch as Malfoy shut the door. He gave her a menacing wave before he closed the curtain shut. Leila walked back and reached to jiggle the handle, but it was locked and she didn't have her wand on her to unlock it. So, still holding onto some hope that Harry had managed to get off, Leila walked to the back compartment to find that only her belongings were left inside. She breathed a hopeful sigh of relief before she exited the train to find a carriage that would take her to Hogwarts...and her brother.

* * *

 **Author's note: I don't know that I've ever updated that quickly before...so yeah. haha. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, follow, or favorite. It really means a lot to me. :)**

* * *

 _F_ _eel free to visit Leila's tumblr (leilapotter) I answer questions there, make videos, manips, and such. :) Thanks for stopping by!_


	8. They're Back

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 8: They're Back**

Leila slowly exhaled and tugged at her shoulder bag, which now contained Roman, as she headed toward the carriages, trailing behind the other students. She scanned the crowd looking for any sign of Harry with his Gryffindor friends; but many of the carriages were already being steered toward Hogwarts by thestrals. For a moment, she stopped to watch the procession of winged horses with skeletal bodies. The first time she had seen them, last year, they had terrified her. Your average Hogwarts student didn't see them-instead, they thought the carriages were pulling themselves; but that wasn't the case. Only those who had seen death were able to see the thestrals and last year, Leila found out in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class that she and Harry were among a small number of students who could see them.

"Disturbing creatures, aren't they?" Theodore Nott commented as he leaned against one of the carriages with his arms folded over his chest and a disgusted expression on his face. He had been one of the few that was able to see the thestrals and he had once confided in Leila why he was able to see them. Theo's expression lightened as he admired Leila from a far. "It's good to see you, Leila. We've been waiting for you."

"Good to see you too, Theo." Leila gently smiled as she walked toward Theo with outstretched arms. He welcomed her with open arms and rested his chin on top of her head. So far, nothing seemed awkward with him...she hoped that a summer apart had given him time to forget about what happened between the two of them last year.

 _ **~*~ Flashback to 5th year~*~**_

 _Leila sat in the library with her fellow 5th year Slytherins as they studied for their upcoming O.W.L. exams. Daphne had practically dragged her out of the dormitory against her will. It was either accompany her Housemates to the library or become Malfoy's new potions' partner. It was really the lesser of two evils. Honestly, Leila wanted nothing more than to sit alone in her dormitory and wallow in her sorrows...that, or completely forget them and the activity that seemed to help recently was snogging. Leila eyed Theo across the table and drummed her fingers against the hardwood surface. For weeks now he had been distracting her from her pain. Leila knew that she was using him-and that it was wrong; but honestly, that part of her that should care almost felt dead inside._

 _After a few minutes, Leila cleared her throat and Theo finally made eye contact with her. She licked her lips when their eyes met before she nodded toward an empty corner in the library. A grin slowly spread over Theo's face as he held up a finger that told Leila he needed a moment as he continued to write something on the parchment in front of him. Leila looked down at the parchment in front of her...it was blank. She had a Transfiguration essay due the day after tomorrow and she had yet to start it. Her desire to best Malfoy and Granger seemed to be dwindling to almost nothing._

 _Theo closed his textbook before he looked at Leila and stood up, "I-uh-there's a book I need to go find." He scratched the back of his head, waiting for a reaction before he turned on his heel and walked away from the table._

 _Leila made sure to watch where he went as he walked away when about thirty seconds later, she stood up. "I-I think I'll go help him with that book." She moved to walk away when a hand wrapped around her wrist. Leila's green eyes searched out the owner of the hand: Daphne. Daphne's gaze looked rather stern; which caused Leila to roll her eyes. "What?"_

 _Daphne looked around the Slytherin table, specifically at Malfoy before she stood up and pushed Leila a few feet away from the table. "I know what you're going to go do," Daphne said in a hushed tone._

" _I'd expect you would," Leila said rolling her eyes. "You've known what's going on since almost the beginning."_

" _Leila, I'm not so sure about this. I don't want things to get awkward. Theo's our friend…"_

" _Exactly, he's being a friend right now...helping me out with...things." Daphne gave Leila a pointed look as she folded her arms across her chest. "What? He knows what he's getting himself in to."_

" _Does he really?"_

 _Leila scoffed before she walked away from Daphne without another word. Honestly, Daphne should be happy for her. Happy that she was being somewhat...outgoing. And Theo knew that Leila wanted no strings attached-but Leila also knew that Theo held hope that it would turn into something more. So it would be his own damn fault if he became overly attached._

 _Running her fingers along the shelves as she walked past them, Leila found Theo pretending to be interested in a book. Leila snatched the book from his hands and set it down on the table beside them. Theo looked straight at Leila before he hastily pressed his lips against hers. Leila gasped for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned against the bookshelf. She couldn't be sure how long they were snogging in the bookshelf aisles; but they were interrupted when a throat cleared near them. "The library is going to be closing soon," Daphne said standing there with her arms folded across her chest. The blonde girl cleared her throat again before she exasperatedly walked away while the couple continued to snog._

 _It wasn't until Madam Pince found them and threatened to give them detentions that Theo and Leila finally left the library. Neither were really ready to go back to the Slytherin dungeon, so they snuck around the corridors, sneaking kisses here and there. Part of Leila couldn't help but wish that Theo was Cedric. This was what she had wanted with Cedric; but they would never get this. When she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that she was kissing Cedric, something she had only experienced once-when her Hufflepuff friend had unexpectedly kissed her after they were transported to the graveyard in Little Hangleton. It was supposed to be something to celebrate-but that was as far as the celebrations went that night._

 _The snogging Slytherin pair eventually found themselves in the Tapestry Corridor on the first floor of the castle. Leila had Theo pinned against the stone wall; but when she reached in for another kiss his head jerked upward for a moment. Leila's eyes met his in the darkened corridor, questioning what he was doing. "Leila-I-I think that…" Theo stammered which caused Leila to cringe momentarily. "I mean, you and I…"_

 _Leila pressed her finger against his lips. "We have a good thing going here, please don't ruin it." Before Theo could get another word out, she crashed her lips onto his once again. He groaned, but he didn't try to argue with her-deciding that he would press the matter later._

 _Theo and Leila were completely lost in snogging each other that they didn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps or hushed tones. Ron Weasley stood off in a distance watching the pair. He opened his mouth to speak several times before he shut his mouth and just stared at them with his head cocked. He then walked closer toward them until his face was almost pressed up against theirs. "Leila, is that you?"_

 _With a scream, a wide-eyed Leila flew back from Theo, pushing him against the wall causing him to groan after his head smacked the wall. Leila had herself pinned against the opposite wall trying to catch her breath as Ron looked curiously between the two Slytherins. "What the bloody hell are you doing, Ron?" Leila seethed._

" _I should be asking you the same question," Ron said as he folded his arms across his chest. "Especially when I catch you with_ _him_ _."_

" _You know that Theo and I have been friends since first year."_

" _That's not what it looks like to me. From the looks of it, you were snogging him. Does Harry know about this?"_

" _Don't you dare tell him. Don't you dare, Ronald Weasley."_

" _Leila, he's going to find out sooner or later," Theo added as he crossed the corridor, narrowing the distance between himself and Leila. He attempted to wrap his arms around her, but Leila pushed him off._

" _Well, I'd prefer later...or better yet, never."_

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

After Ron had told Harry about her and Theo snogging, Leila tried breaking things off with Theo. He still pursued her, but at least he wasn't as bloody annoying about it as Malfoy. Eventually, he seemed to take the hint and to Leila, they had easily been able to get past that whole business; but sometimes she still got the feeling that Theo was holding out hope that she would _come to her senses_ again.

Theo released her from their embrace before he opened the carriage door for her. Leila thanked him before climbing up into the carriage. She took a seat beside Daphne as Theo climbed into the carriage behind her. It would be just the three of them in the carriage. While Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been unceremoniously dubbed _The Golden Trio_ Leila, always like to think of herself, Daphne, and Theo as their counterpart: _The Silver Trio._ Despite whatever awkwardness or hardship life seemed to throw their way, the three still managed to find a way to make their friendship work.

"What took you so long, Leila?" Daphne asked.

"I-I was just checking the train over. You know, prefect duties," Leila responded.

"You didn't get into another argument with Draco, did you?"

"Why would you assume that?"

"Because we didn't see him get off the train either," Theo said. "And after your little show back in the compartment, which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way, it seemed logical."

"If you must know, I was looking for my brother. I didn't even talk to Malfoy." Leila groaned and rolled her eyes at her friends' responses. It was obvious that they didn't believe her...well, at least the part of her not arguing with Malfoy. Then again, after how then they had known her-they knew better. So, Leila decided to change the subject. "Theo, how was your summer?"

"Fine, as it could be, I suppose. Moved in with my grandparents with my father being imprisoned and all."

Leila cringed. She had almost forgotten that she had gotten one of her best friend's father thrown into Azkaban as well. "Theo, I-I really am sorry for anything my actions might have done to affect your family."

"Leila, like I told you last year, I don't blame you. I've known you long enough to know that you always unwillingly get roped into Scarhead's messes."

"At least _someone_ understands that. Everyone always seems to think that I enjoy being dragged into all of Harry's messes." Leila sighed as she rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward to rest her chin on her hands. "Because, I don't."

Daphne gently patted Leila's shoulder as a muffled meowing came from the bag between them. Leila pulled Roman out of her shoulder bag and set him on her lap as Daphne continued to talk to Theo-asking him if he'd gotten a chance to read the book she loaned him over the summer. Theo mentioned that he hadn't and Daphne's lower lip jutted out a bit. Leila looked between her two friends in slight confusion. Was there something going on between them? Theo seemed oblivious about the situation, but Leila recognized the look on Daphne's face. She had seen it multiple times over the years-it was the face Daphne got when she was infatuated with someone. Wisely, Leila didn't choose that moment to get into things with Daphne, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Leila," Theo said, interrupting the girl's thoughts. "How many openings will there be on the team this year?"

Quidditch. He wanted to talk Quidditch. That was a fairly safe topic of conversation, except for the fact that Daphne hated Quidditch. Leila blew a puff of air before responding, "Erm-well, you know that every position is supposed to be available, aside for the captain's position; but if Urquhart keeps everyone from last year, then there will be one roster spot opening up."

"Damn, I was hoping that you'd be captain, so I would make the team."

"I'm sure Urquhart will do just fine at being captain. Besides, I don't think Snape would ever pick me over Malfoy for captain." Theo and Daphne exchanged a glance that wasn't missed by Leila. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but it obviously meant something. "What? What did I say?"

Neither Daphne nor Theo said anything. Leila sighed as Daphne reached over and accidentally grabbed Leila's bag, thinking it was her own. She realized her mistake when she pulled out Gilderoy Lockhart's book _Magical Me._ The blonde girl thumbed through the pages and then looked at Leila, "Why do you have this?"

"I was _that_ bored when I was with my Muggle family," Leila retorted as she reached over to snatch the book and her bag back from Daphne, but Theo reached over and grabbed the book first. "C'mon, give it back."

"If I recall correctly, you hated Lockhart because he fawned all over your brother and ignored you. Why read his stupid book?" Theo asked.

"Because I was curious how far off my answers were to that bloody quiz he gave us. They weren't _that_ far off at all, really."

 _ **~*~ Flashback to 2nd Year~*~**_

 _They had exactly thirty minutes to fill it out and when Leila took a look at it she shook her head. What sort of questions were these? She wouldn't have completely minded filling out something so ridiculous if it would get her a good grade; but when she overheard the man giving her brother an answer, something inside her snapped. That was it. Strike three. The man was willing to give Harry the upper hand for the sake of his so-called celebrity and let the rest of them struggle. She was every bit as famous as Harry. She could barely control her anger as she answered the questions to his ridiculous quiz._

 _ **What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?**_ _Emerald green. The exact same shade as Harry Potter's eyes. They're so dreamy._

 _ **What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?**_ _To become best friends with Harry Potter, forever._

 _ **What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?**_ _Getting photographed with the Boy-Who-Lived for the Daily Prophet's front page, multiple weeks running._

 _ **Which is the person name which Gilderoy Lockhart has given to his broom?**_ _Harry James Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived._

 _Leila answered her questions in this manner all the way to number 54._

 _ **54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his ideal gift be?**_ _The same day as Harry Potter's: July 31. His ideal gift would be a signed photo of Harry Potter and to spend the entire day with him playing Quidditch to their little hearts' content._

 _While she had heard Lockhart make mention of waiting for him to collect the essays at the end of the thirty minutes, Leila couldn't wait that long. She even managed to finish before Granger on this quiz. Leila stood up and slightly hobbled up to Lockhart's desk. She slammed her paper down on his desk and turned to walk away._

 _"Young lady, class isn't over," Lockhart called out._

 _"Hospital wing," Leila said raising her sling._

 _"You're going to miss out on an excellent lesson." Leila didn't respond. Instead, she turned on her heel to walk away when Lockhart called after her again. "Young lady, you forgot your name!"_

 _"No, I think you forgot my name."_

 _ **~*~End of Flashback~*~**_

Both Theo and Daphne chuckled as Leila recounted the answers to her quiz. To be fair, Leila had been quite grumpy that day because the night before she had crash-landed into the Whomping Willow in the Flying Ford Anglia with Ron and Harry. But that year with Lockhart had been almost unbearable. With a sigh, Leila leaned her head against Daphne's shoulder as the three Slytherins continued to chat about the upcoming school year.

The carriage eventually came to a stop outside the gates that led into Hogwarts. As Leila exited the carriage with her friends, she couldn't help but notice the long line of students waiting to enter the grounds. Filch had a security sensor and was triple-checking everyone who stepped through the gates, even the pets. Poor Roman. Hopefully her cat would give the squib some hell. Leila looked a little further ahead to see that once one passed through the gates, they had to check-in with Professor Flitwick before depositing their possessions into a pile that was to be screened before being allowed into the castle. Theo grumbled about the extra security as the Slytherin trio walked to the end of the long line. Despite the fact the students all belonged to different Houses, one thing they all seemed to agree on was that no one really appreciated the long line even though it was for their own protection.

Once they had finally made it through security, Leila, Theo, and Daphne began their walk to the castle following a procession of other students. Despite the overall looming sense of dread in the Wizarding World, here, things almost seemed normal. Unlike Diagon Alley, Hogwarts didn't seem to have lost its charm or grandeur. It still held those same shining qualities it possessed when she had first graced the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.

Inside the castle, the students headed straight for the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony and a feast. As Leila walked past the Gryffindor table, she scanned it for any sign of her brother. She saw Granger, Ron, Ginny...but no Harry. Leila made eye contact with Ron and mouthed _where is he;_ but Ron only shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Daphne pulled Leila along as the Potter girl began scanning the Ravenclaw table on the off chance Luna was occupying his time; but neither he nor Luna were there.

Leila then looked down the Slytherin table for Malfoy, who was nowhere to be found. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that Harry hadn't made it out of the Slytherin compartment and that Malfoy had found him. It was the only logical thing that made sense. Leila was so distracted when she sat down at the Slytherin table, that she didn't even notice the evil glares Pansy was giving her from across the table. Instead, Leila kept glancing back toward the giant doors, hoping that at any moment her brother would come walking through those doors. Just about when she could stomach the unknown no more, Malfoy came swaggering through the doors. Leila stood up and intercepted his path toward the Slytherin table. With a scowl on his face, he moved to side-step her, but Leila was quick and blocked his path. He moved to his left and Leila followed his direction.

"I suggest you move, Potter," Malfoy drawled.

"Or what?" Leila retorted.

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"What did you do to him?"

"Only what needed to be done. Next time, keep the strays out."

"You're an arse." By this point, Leila's blood was boiling and she was standing tall at her full height, which still meant Draco was towering over her; but she wasn't going to back down. "Did you hear me? I said you were an arse."

"I could really care less what you think."

"Merlin, you two can't be left alone for one minute without going at it," Daphne groaned as she approached the arguing Slytherins. For a moment, Leila was slightly taken aback by the unintended double-meaning behind Daphne's words. "Both of you need to knock it off."

"I will if he does," Leila muttered.

"How mature, Potter," Draco scoffed with an eyeroll.

"You're one to be talking, pot calling the cauldron black."

"At least I have matured, can't say the same for you."

"Arse. Arse. Arse." Each time Leila said a word, she poked Malfoy in the chest. From the look in his eyes, he became quite enraged. It looked like he was about to argue back with her when Daphne started hissing at the both of them again.

"Now you've both done it, Snape's watching," Daphne hissed. "You two are supposed to be his prefects."

Draco and Leila both rolled their eyes and looked up at the staff table to find that Daphne was telling the truth. Snape had been intently watching the scene between her and Malfoy. Leila made eye contact with Professor Snape who narrowed his eyes at her for a few moments before he quickly looked away behind her. Leila turned to see the Great Hall doors fling open and reveal a strict-looking Professor McGonagall with wide-eyed first years following behind her.

Leila turned back around to see Draco already skulking toward the Slytherin table. So, she and Daphne also walked back to the table. Much to Leila's dismay, Malfoy had taken her spot; but not wanting to give him the satisfaction, Leila pushed him a bit and sat down beside him where Daphne had been sitting. Daphne, on the other hand, wanting to avoid the drama sat down on the other side of the table beside Pansy and across from Leila. Leila's eyes wandered to the front of the Great hall where the first years nervously waited to be sorted and she couldn't help but remember her own sorting.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 1st year~*~**_

 _Professor McGonagall came back with a rolled up scroll in her hands. She gently tapped Draco Malfoy on the shoulder whose mouth was agape in front of the Potter twins. The boy took a few steps out of the way as Professor McGonagall ushered the first years into somewhat of an orderly line. Leila exhaled deeply in nervousness as they started walking into what Professor McGonagall referred to as the Great Hall. As the doors swung open to reveal the large room, Leila couldn't help but gasp. The place seemed so…enchanting, it almost seemed to soothe her nerves. The place was lit by thousands of hovering candles. Hundreds of students sat at four long tables with glittering gold plates and goblets. Leila was just about to say something to her brother when the person walking behind her started walking beside her._

 _"So you're really Leila Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked._

" _You don't listen, do you?" Leila scoffed._

 _"You don't have to be nervous you know."_

 _"What makes you think that I'm nervous?"_

 _"Because you turned all white when you were talking to Weasley earlier when he said we had to battle a troll," Draco said. "That's utterly ridiculous. Don't believe a word he says."_

 _"And why should I believe a word you say?"_

 _"Because my father told me what to expect. I can tell you if you'd like." Leila watched him and nodded her head for him to continue. "Father said that they place the Sorting Hat on our heads and it places us into our Houses."_

 _"Does it hurt?"_

 _"He never said."_

 _Leila noticed Harry look back at her and shoot her an angry glance. She then looked to her side where Draco Malfoy was still walking directly beside her with a smirk on his face. Leila gave Draco a look of disgust before she started to walk even faster to get away from him. Only, she wasn't watching where she was going and she ran right into Ron. Ron squeaked in surprise and turned around to find Leila gripping tightly onto him for balance. The scene caused the students closest to them to break into laughter, which caused Ron's and Leila's faces to turn bright red from the embarrassment. Ron practically pushed Leila off him and much to her dismay; Draco helped her stand straight on her feet._

 _Once again, the exchange wasn't missed by Harry who rolled his eyes at them. Leila marched right past Draco and Ron and straight for her brother who was stopped in the front of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall was gathering them in the front just below a step. On that platform was a wooden stool with a rather sorry looking hat. Maybe Malfoy wasn't as off as she thought he was going to be; but that still didn't change the fact that her brother was still being an idiot. Leila looked at her brother with her arms folded across her chest but looked away from her._

 _"Now who's the one being a git?" Leila muttered, but Harry didn't respond. Instead he stared straight ahead to Professor McGonagall, causing Leila to roll her eyes._

 _"Now, when I call your name, you will come forth," Professor McGonagall started. "I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your Houses."_

 _Leila heard a throat clear behind her. She turned around to see Hermione Granger standing right behind her. Couldn't she get rid of that girl? And to make it worse the girl started muttering to herself to stay calm. Leila could feel her hands ball into fists as Professor McGonagall called the first person forward: Hannah Abbott. The girl had her blonde hair pulled back into pigtails. After a pause the hat shouted: HUFFLEPUFF! One of the tables on the right cheered and clapped as the newly sorted girl made her way to the Hufflepuff table. Terry Boot was the first one of their lot named a Ravenclaw and Mandy Brocklehurst named Gryffindor. One of the girls Leila recognized from her boat ride, who was apparently named Millicent Bulstrode, was named a Slytherin. Leila could feel her stomach twist and turn because of her nerves. She hardly paid attention to those being sorted until Professor McGonagall called out Hermione Granger's name._

 _Leila watched as Hermione slowly stepped forward to the stool. Professor McGonagall was about to place the Sorting Hat on the girl's head when Hermione jammed the Hat on her own head. Leila slightly narrowed her eyes and watched the girl intently. Wherever the Sorting Hat placed that Granger girl, Leila was determined not to go to. After what seemed like forever the Sorting Hat finally declared Hermione Granger a Gryffindor. Leila made a mental note to avoid being placed in Gryffindor at all costs. She just hoped that she had some say in the matter. After Granger was placed, another girl from the boat was called up: Daphne Greengrass. Almost seconds after being placed on the girl's head, the Sorting Hat declared the pretty blonde girl a Slytherin. Again, the Sorting seemed to whir by as she was too consumed by her own nervousness. What if the Sorting Hat decided that it had made a mistake by allowing her entrance into Hogwarts when she got up there? What if they sent her back to the Dursleys? What if they let Harry stay and sent her packing? She didn't know that she could bear the thought of being separated from her brother, even if she was currently rather upset with him. It wasn't until Draco Malfoy was named a Slytherin that she started paying attention again._

 _"Slytherins…They seem like a rather unpleasant lot," Harry muttered._

 _"There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin," Ron commented._

 _"I'm sure there were some in other Houses," Leila retorted._

 _"That's what you'd think; but just look at him."_

 _"He's not all that bad; looks more like an annoying git than evil."_

 _"But he's a Malfoy."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _"Leila Potter," Professor McGonagall called._

 _Leila's eyes widened before she did a double-take at Professor McGonagall. Shouldn't Harry have gone first? But the older woman repeated her name. Leila took a deep breath before she turned to Professor McGonagall who motioned with her hand to come forward. It looked like that conversation with Ron was going to have to be finished another time. Leila took a deep breath as she slowly walked across the wooden planks to the stool. She was almost to the stool when she noticed that something was missing: the chatter of the students. The Great Hall had gone completely silent at the call of her name. Professor McGonagall reached for her arm and pulled her the rest of the way onto the stool. Leila shut her eyes tightly as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Even though she couldn't see them, she could feel the eyes of everyone in the school on her. The sensation was rather uncomfortable. Hardly anyone had ever taken an interest in her._

 _"Well, well, what do we have here," the Sorting Hat pondered in Leila's head. "Intelligent, very intelligent I see…"_

 _"I got good grades at my old school," Leila muttered._

 _"And determined…"_

 _"To not be in the same House as that Hermione Granger girl."_

 _"Hmm….Some nerve, I see," The Hat chuckled._

 _"Please, whatever you do…don't put me where she is? I'll do anything."._

 _"Resourceful…a thirst to prove yourself…the very qualities of greatness…Now where to put you?"_

 _"Wherever Hermione Granger isn't."_

 _"Not Gryffindor?" The Hat questioned. "Your parents were in Gryffindor…"_

 _"Wait, what?" Leila gasped. Leila's eyes flashed open at the mention of her parents; but before she could say anything more the Sorting Hat roared: SLYTHERIN!_

 _Leila's eyes immediately looked to her brother who looked a mixture of confusion and anger and Ron whose mouth was agape and hanging open with a hint of betrayal in his eyes. In the corner of her eye she could see almost everyone at the Slytherin table on their feet. They were jumping up and down wildly, clapping, and shouting "We got Potter!" Leila's eyes scanned the Slytherin table where she could see Draco Malfoy practically beaming from the table. He smirked at her as she sat on the stool slightly shaking. Ron's words just before she was called up rang through her head…There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin…she wasn't evil, was she? She couldn't possibly be. But she couldn't be in Slytherin, Harry already didn't like them and now she was part of that unpleasant lot. She looked to her brother again who looked at her before quickly looking away. For whatever unknown reason, Leila could already tell that he wasn't happy about this…that, or he was still upset with her. This time she couldn't easily read her brother's normally transparent emotions. Leila took a deep breath. Maybe the Sorting Hat made a mistake. Maybe if she just sat here a little longer she could get a do-over. But apparently they didn't do do-overs, because Professor McGonagall grabbed her arm and helped her off the stool before giving her a gentle push toward the Slytherin table. She turned to look at Professor McGonagall who had a look on her face that almost looked disappointed, but the woman pointed her toward the Slytherin table…or the rather unpleasant lot as Harry had pointed out earlier._

 _Slowly, Leila trudged over to the Slytherin table until Professor McGonagall called Harry's name. She stopped just short of the long table and turned to watch her brother despite her new Housemates' insistence to join their table. Leila could see Harry muttering to himself as the Hat was placed on his head. She wondered what the Hat was saying to him. He seemed to be having quite the conversation with it. Leila could practically feel her heart thudding in her chest and suddenly her it sank into her stomach. The Sorting Hat proclaimed Harry a Gryffindor! Leila waited for her brother to make eye contact with her; but he didn't. No, instead he seemed to forget about her as he was ushered to the Gryffindor table where the Gryffindors were now on their feet shouting the same cheer the Slytherins had been shouting only moments before. Leila waited for Harry to notice her still standing there; but he must have consumed by his new surroundings. She sighed and walked to find an empty spot at the Slytherin table, hanging her head dejectedly. As she walked down the aisle, she felt a hand clasp her arm._

 _"Potter, have a seat," Draco Malfoy said as he yanked at Leila's arm until she was sitting beside him. "You're going to like it here."_

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila watched as the last few students were sorted into their Houses before she looked over at the Gryffindor table once more to see if Harry had snuck inside while she was distracted. Again, she saw Ginny, Ron, and Granger; but Harry was still missing. Her heart sunk again before she narrowed her eyes at Malfoy and she elbowed him in the ribs. Malfoy's icy glare immediately turned to meet her gaze. He scowled in her direction before looking away. Leila moved her face a little closer to his ear. "Where is he, Malfoy?" Leila hissed.

"Far from here," Malfoy scowled as he attempted to swat Leila's face away from his ear with a backhanded swing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Malfoy just ignored her. Leila kicked his leg but his willpower was strong and he continued to ignore her. In anger, Leila slammed her fists against the table causing his goblet of pumpkin juice to spill in the direction of Pansy. He didn't move to clean the spilled liquid as Pansy squealed. Leila then narrowed her eyes at him again. "I swear, if he's not alright…"

Just as the words escaped Leila's mouth, the doors to the Great Hall swung open once again and Luna walked through them. In the distance, she could see Harry walking down the corridor. Leila breathed a sigh of relief before she moved to smack Malfoy; but he caught hold of her wrist and glared coldly at her. She pulled her wrist away from him before she ran across the Great Hall and enveloped her brother in a tight hug, knocking him backwards and back into the corridor. Leila, didn't want a scene in front of the Slytherins. Harry quickly pushed her off, but she hugged him again. "Merlin, Harry, I thought Malfoy killed you or something. What did he do to you?"

"Later, Leils," Harry groaned. "I just want to sit down."

"Not until you tell me what that prat did to you."

"I think it's rather obvious what he did."

"I'm going to kill him. When I get back I'm going to kill that pompous, arrogant prat."

"No." Harry's hand wrapped around Leila's arm as he looked her in the eyes, taking her aback for a moment. "This is my fight with Malfoy, not yours."

"I can handle, Malfoy, Harry. I'm pretty sure I'm actually better at it than you are."

"Please don't. Just stay away from him. I don't want you anywhere near him. I don't trust him."

"I don't trust him either, but he's in my House. I can't exactly avoid him." Harry gave her a knowing look to which Leila sighed. She looked at him and saw blood trickling from his nose. "You're bleeding again." With a groan, Harry rubbed at his nose with the sleeve of his robe. Leila reached for her wand, which was in her pocket before she pulled the ponytail holder from her wrist and transfigured it into a white rag for her brother. She handed the rag over to Harry, who immediately pressed the rag to his bleeding nose. "You're welcome."

"Erm-yeah, thanks," Harry said nodding his head.

"The thanks I get for breaking the rules and doing magic in the corridors for you." By this point, Leila had her hands on her hips was trying to hide a soft smile. Harry stomach growled and Leila shook her head. "Boys, always with you and your stomachs. Let's go get you something to eat."

Harry chuckled before he opened the door to the Great Hall and held it open for his sister to walk through. She nodded her head in thanks toward her brother. For a moment, the Potter twins stood together in the Great Hall, taking it all in. Leila hugged her brother one last time before she parted ways with him and headed back for the Slytherin table. She narrowed her eyes to find that in her absence, Parkinson had taken her spot at the table. She was rather glad to not have to sit by Malfoy anymore; but she was annoyed at Pansy's utter jealousy. Leila scoffed, like she wanted anything to do with Draco Malfoy.

She was almost to the Slytherin table when a stern-looking Professor McGonagall headed right for her. Leila tried to pick up her pace to get back to her friends faster. She would much rather have Snape punish her for using magic in the corridors than McGonagall; but she was stopped short when the older woman called her name: Miss Potter. Leila froze and cringed. Damn. Slowly, Leila turned and smiled a fake sweet smile at Professor McGonagall, hoping that it would somehow lessen the severity of her punishment. Her professor's expression didn't soften, so Leila sighed and prepared for her punishment. "Yes, Professor?"

"This is for you," Professor McGonagall said lightly. Leila looked at Professor McGonagall in confusion as the older woman handed her an envelope. Not exactly what Leila had been expecting. She had been expecting a week's worth of detentions with Filch, an essay on the importance of following the rules-but not this. Leila opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't formulate the right words to say, so Professor McGonagall spoke, "It's from Professor Dumbledore and I highly suggest you open it now before returning to your table."

"Yes, ma'am," Leila said with a nod of her head before Professor McGonagall returned a curt nod and walked back to the staff table. The Potter girl hastily opened the envelope and unfolded the piece of parchment inside before reading:

 _Dear Miss Potter_ ,

 _I received an owl from your brother wishing for me to meet with you. Report to my office after the feast. In case you were curious, I'm quite fond of Cockroach Clusters._

 _Professor Dumbledore_

Leila rolled her eyes and groaned before looking over at Harry. He was watching her. She pointed at the letter before glaring at him. He had absolutely no right to meddle in her business...and he especially had no right to involve Dumbledore. To be honest, Leila didn't have the blind faith in the man that Harry did. With a sigh, Leila shoved the parchment in the pocket of her robe before she continued her walk back to the Slytherin table. Her gaze fell on Malfoy, who was playing with his fork in a bowl of jell-o. Even Parkinson, couldn't manage to distract him. Leila watched as Pansy realized she wasn't getting anywhere with Malfoy, so she turned to gossip with Tracey Davis. Malfoy seemed quite distracted, not that she was _trying_ to pay him any attention nor that it concerned her. It was simply an observation she told herself.

Back at the Slytherin table, Leila squeezed next to Daphne, across from Draco, who didn't even acknowledge her reappearance. Leila bit her bottom lip-she was still adjusting to the fact that Malfoy wasn't trying everything in his power to get her attention-not that she missed it or anything. "What was that about?" Daphne asked.

"Why don't you ask him?" Leila scoffed, narrowing her eyes at Malfoy, who simply ignored her. "I said why don't you ask _him_." Leila then kicked him in the shin, causing Malfoy to scowl in pain before he shot Leila a look of disgust. Leila simply raised her eyebrows. He deserved it, especially for what he had done to her brother. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Leave me alone," Malfoy muttered before he looked up to the staff table. He groaned at the sight of Snape watching them again before he began to stab his jell-o again.

"Well, I suppose you'll be rid of me tonight. You're going to have to do our rounds on your own." Malfoy shook his head like he didn't really care, so Leila purposely continued. "I have a meeting...with Dumbledore."

Draco's head snapped up and his eyes immediately met Leila's. While she wasn't particularly fond of the idea of having to meet with Dumbledore, the fact that she got a reaction out of Malfoy with it was worth it. "Why would he want to meet with you?"

"Oh, I don't know-it could have something to do with the fact that a psychopath has been trying to kill me for the better portion of my life."

"Not after you," Malfoy muttered, so that Leila couldn't hear him. Leila eyed him curiously before he took another stab at his jell-o and looked at Leila. "I'm going with you to see Dumbledore."

"I thought you were supposed to stay away from me." Leila rested her head on her hands and her emerald eyes locked with Draco's icy ones. He glared at her for a few moments and opened his mouth to speak before Dumbledore's beginning of the year speech interrupted them.

Leila turned to watch as Professor Dumbledore spoke and greeted them from his podium in the front of the Great Hall; but in the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw Malfoy tense-up a bit. He was acting oddly-and Leila knew it. But she refused to give in to Harry's theory. Not wanting to think of it, she focused on Dumbledore's words. "First off, please join me in welcoming the newest member of our staff, Professor Horace Slughorn. Professor Slughorn is an old colleague of mine and has agreed to resume his old post as Potions master."

The room began to erupt in whispers, especially from the Slytherin table. What was Snape going to teach? But a few seconds later, their questions were answered. "Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking of the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The Slytherin table practically erupted into cheers and rounds of applause; but even on top of that, Harry could easily be heard complaining from the Gryffindor table. Leila inwardly cringed before she slowly turned to look at her brother who was talking animatedly to Ron and Granger. He looked pissed and understandably so. Defense was easily Harry's favorite and best class, but now it was going to be taught by the teacher who probably hated Harry the most. "He looks happy," Daphne chuckled into Leila's ear.

"Ecstatic," Leila whispered back sarcastically. "He can hardly contain his joy." Leila fought to contain her smile, so she looked back up to the staff table to see Professor Snape straighten his posture a bit. She knew that he was a worthy candidate for the job and that he had been trying to get the position for years. She also knew the position to be jinxed. No one last more than a year in that position-meaning that by the end of the year, Snape would be gone like all the others. Quirrell had died in his attempts to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone for Voldemort. Lockhart had his memories wiped when his Memory Charm backfired...it was probably better that way. Lupin had been outed as a werewolf. Moody turned out to be Barty Crouch Jr...a Death Eater in disguise. And last, but certainly not least, Umbridge had been carried off by centaurs. Honestly, Leila was actually rather glad to be rid of most of those professors.

Leila then glanced over toward Malfoy who seemed incredibly bored to death by Dumbledore's speech. He was using his wand to make his fork hover in midair over his plate. Leila scoffed before she snapped her fingers in front of him, breaking his concentration and causing his fork to clang onto the plate. Many pairs of eyes turned toward them and a blush began to creep up Leila's face, so she turned to listen to Dumbledore once again.

"Now, as you know-each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight and you have the right to know why. Once, there was a man like you, who sat in this very hall. He walked in the castle corridors, stepped under this very roof. He seemed to all the world, a student like any other. His name-was Tom Riddle." The Great Hall filled with the sound of students whispering amongst themselves. the younger students in the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables looked to the older students in their respective Houses in panic. The only table which seemed to remain rather silent was the Slytherin. "Today, of course, he is known all over the world by another name. Which is why I stand looking out upon you all tonight; I'm reminded of a rather sobering fact. Every day, every hour, this very minute perhaps-Dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle. But in the end, their greatest weapon...is you."

Leila turned her head once again toward her brother. They made eye contact and he nodded rather soberly. She knew they both were recollecting what happened last year and how Voldemort has used Harry in the Department of Mysteries. Leila got choked up for a minute thinking of Sirius...they both had lost him that night. Sirius had been their family and he had even offered to take them in once his name had been cleared; but that was never going to happen. "Just something to think about. Off to bed. Pip pip!" Dumbledore finished before he stepped down from his podium.

The Great Hall was immediately abuzz with the sound of students pushing their benches back and excitedly chatting before heading for their respective common rooms. Daphne patted Leila on the shoulder before telling her that she was going to head back to the Slytherin dungeon with the Carrow twins. Leila nodded her head and looked down the table to the new first year Slytherins who were being rounded-up by the fifth and seventh year prefects, seeing as both of the sixth year prefects were still seated. Leila snapped her fingers across the table once more at Malfoy, who was twirling his wand and staring out into nothing as he made it snow.

"He's done talking, you know," Leila said as she swiped the snow out of the air. Malfoy didn't say anything, instead he just rolled his eyes in his annoyance. "You do remember that it is your job as prefect to help the ickle-firsties, right?"

"Merlin's beard, do you ever stop talking Potter?" Malfoy snapped and Leila was taken aback for a moment. In her stunned silence, Malfoy stood up and walked away from the table toward Pansy who had been watching them a few yards away with her arms crossed. Leila rolled her eyes, isn't this what Parkinson wanted? Her and Malfoy at odds with each other?

But Leila couldn't let him have the last word. She stood up and called out to him, 'Malfoy, don't forget you have patrol tonight!" For a moment he tensed before he turned back and glared at her. A look of satisfaction spread over Leila's face before she headed for the door as Malfoy grumbled something to Parkinson.

Slowly, Leila began her climb to Professor Dumbledore's office; attempting to delay the inevitable and figure out what the hell she was supposed to tell Professor Dumbledore because her neurotic brother meddled in her life. What exactly had Harry told Dumbledore? How much was Dumbledore going to expect her to tell him? Did she really have to tell him anything? She knew she was supposed to trust him, but honestly, it seemed like a last resort kind of thing to her.

When she came to the gargoyle, she said the password and hopped onto the moving staircase which led up to Dumbledore's office. By this point, she was very late. Although, in her defense, the first years were clogging up the main staircase practically fawning over it. The stairs finally stopped moving and Leila gently knocked on the door reluctantly before she took a deep breath and walked into Dumbledore's office. She found the office to look exactly the same as it had last year...and all the years before that. Nothing in here ever really seemed to change. It was as cluttered with objects as ever. Leila scanned the room to find Professor Dumbledore sitting behind his desk with a gentle smile on his face. Inwardly, Leila was rolling her eyes as she walked toward him.

"Miss Potter, how pleasant of you to stop by," Dumbledore spoke.

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter, sir," Leila said as she pulled the piece of parchment from her pocket before she sat down at a chair in front of his desk. "Sir, I just wanted to start by saying that I think Harry is overreacting a bit."

"Lemon drop?" The professor offered as he pointed toward a small glass candy dish on his desk. Leila opened her mouth to say no, but she found her hand reaching for the jar anyway. What kind of person turned down sweets? Leila popped a lemon drop into her mouth and began to suck on it. "Harry wishes me to discuss your dreams with you."

"They're nothing out of the ordinary, sir. Nothing to worry about-it's just that, you know how Harry gets, paranoid about every little thing.."

"You're deflecting, Miss Potter and I don't need to use Legilimency on you to know you're withholding something."

"Too bad for you I actually mastered Occlumency, huh?" Leila looked at Dumbledore innocently, as he seemed to examine her a little more scrutinizingly. "I don't mean any disrespect here, sir; but I don't have the same relationship with you as Harry does. People like to think we do, but we don't."

"You know you can trust me."

"You telling me that and me actually knowing it are two entirely different things."

"I suppose you're right." Leila was shocked Dumbledore agreed with her. Her eyes practically bulged out of her head, which caused the old man to slightly chuckle. "But that doesn't change the fact that your brother is worried about you-that your dreams might be another connection."

"You know as well as I do that I don't have a scar."

"A scar isn't the only way to be connected to someone, Miss Potter." Leila raised a quizzical eyebrow at the old man. He only adjusted his glasses and sat forward, leaning against his desk, "Humor an old man...it might just get your brother off your back."

Damn him. He was right. Harry would probably leave her alone about it if she told him...not that she wanted to do it. Leila thought for a moment. She certainly didn't want to tell him the truth partly because she didn't trust him and partly because even _she_ wasn't certain what the truth was. Wanting to appear uncomfortable, Leila awkwardly rubbed at her face. "Honestly, it's rather embarrassing, sir." But she knew that the best lies were based on the truth. "It's not exactly something a sister would want to tell her brother." Leila slowly exhaled and attempted to look nervous. "I-I've been dreaming about...a boy. A boy my brother wouldn't entirely approve of and you see how terribly Harry is already freaking out. Just imagine how much worse it could get if-if I told him I was dreaming about some bloke. Apocalyptic destruction. You don't want that kind of bloodbath on your hands, sir."

Dumbledore sat back and nodded his head. Did he believe her? Did he actually believe what she was saying? Because to be honest, Leila was even impressed with herself; but the old man's silence disturbed her. It was several moments before he finally spoke, "Miss Potter, if you think you know something that could potentially endanger my students, I need to know that."

Leila tugged at her collar, "As long as Harry doesn't figure out who I've been dreaming about-Hogwarts should be safe."

Again, there was another awkward silence. What was with this man and his awkward silences? It was enough to drive someone insane. Professor Dumbledore nodded his head and then stood up to walk to the front of his desk, standing closer to Leila-looking straight down at her. "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

For a moment, Leila considered telling him about Harry's suspicions about Malfoy and what she had seen to draw any attention off of her; but some unknown loyalty to the prat prevented her from doing so. Besides, that would just prolong any conversation with Dumbledore and she was ready to get back to her dormitory and friends. Not to mention that Leila refused to take a risk and be wrong. Leila shrugged her shoulders and looked up at Professor Dumbledore. "Nothing that I can think of, sir."

Dumbledore nodded his head again, "Miss Potter, do be careful this year."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dumbledore gave her a knowing glance and she groaned. "In my defense, trouble usually finds me, sir. I haven't any intention of seeking out anything remotely dangerous or stupid this year; but if you could remind Harry of that, it would be much appreciated."

The headmaster chuckled at Leila's words, which somewhat surprised her. "You may return to your common room." Leila thanked him before she quickly stood up and headed for the door. "Oh, and Miss Potter…" Leila stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. "Congratulations on placing second in your class after your O.W.L. examinations. You came in a very close second to Miss Granger; Mr Malfoy not far behind the two of you."

Leila tried to hide the smile on her face as she exited Dumbledore's office before heading for the dungeons. The corridors were abandoned as she walked through them. The place seemed almost peaceful, just how Leila liked it. She enjoyed being able to walk about the castle with her thoughts; but she groaned when she spotted Malfoy as she rounded the corner of a corridor in the direction of the Slytherin dungeon. He didn't seem to notice her as he muttered to himself while he walked. Leila took off in a sprint to catch up to him; but he heard her and turned to see her running at him. He rolled his eyes before continuing to walk, attempting to ignore the little annoyance flying toward him.

"Malfoy, did you miss me? How was patrol?" Leila questioned. He ignored her question. Leila furrowed her brow and looked at him. "What's your problem."

"You," Malfoy answered.

"How original," Leila quipped before giving him an eyeroll. He shook his head before he said the password to the Slytherin dungeon. "Aww, c'mon, I know you can insult better than that."

Malfoy ignored her again, but he did ball his hands into fist, which made her smile. Leila followed him inside to find that the common room was full of students chatting and beginning to play games on the eve before classes started again. From the looks of things, she and Malfoy had just missed Snape's beginning of the year introductions and warnings. Leila reached for her heart, pretending to be deeply hurt that she had missed them; but they honestly couldn't have changed much since she had last heard them on the train. Malfoy sat rigidly on the couch beside Vincent Crabbe, who was chatting with Millicent Bulstrode.

Leila gagged at the sight before he headed for her dormitory. She was several feet away from the entrance to the girls dormitories when she couldn't resist the temptation to rub-in Malfoy's shortcomings to him. So, Leila walked back behind the sofa and leaned over the back so that her mouth was near Malfoy's ear. "Just one more thing, Malfoy."

"What would that be?" Malfoy hissed coldly after he jumped a bit.

"Congratulations on coming in third this year, Dumbledore's only told me. Your father must be so proud."

"Don't you dare mention my father, Potter!" Malfoy practically flew to his feet and his hand snapped forward and snaked around Leila's arm. She groaned at his tight grip; but he dragged her until the sofa was no longer a barrier between the two of them. He looked at her coldly and Leila returned the favor.

By this point, the entire common room was now watching the two of them; but they only continued their intimidation contest. Malfoy attempted to tower over her; but she wasn't about to back down..especially not to him. "Or what? Mummy will come to your rescue?"

"Don't you dare insult my family. At least I have parents...unlike you."

His words stung at her for a moment. Never once had he ever intentionally brought that up to her before; but Leila brushed it off and continued icily. "Well, you're a pathetic lot anyway. Now, I suggest you unhand me...or else."

"Or else what? Are you scared Potter?"

"Me? Scared of you, Ferret?" Leila chuckled at the thought as Malfoy's grasp on her tightened. She tried to pull her arm away as he reached his full height. Leila too reached her full height; but she only stood tall at 5'1 ½" inches-which was nothing on Malfoy. The common room remained silent and seated, watching the scene. Needing to cause a distraction to get away from him, Leila narrowed her eyes and kicked him direction in the shin. He yelped in surprise, instantly releasing her arm. "Don't you ever touch me again, you mudwallower."

There was a gasp in the common room. Everyone knew that a mudwallower was a muggle-lover, something Malfoys clearly were not. Leila didn't know why she said it-she just let it slip to piss his off even more. She watched as Malfoy's face contorted in rage. "You better watch your back, you filthy half-blood dung-licker."

"Why what are _you_ going to do?"

Malfoy quickly reached for his wand. Surprised by his action, Leila reached for her wand as well. Leila's began to breathe unevenly. He had never pulled his wand on her like this before. He quickly shot a spell at her, but she deflected it. Not wanting to give him a chance to do anything, she quickly cast a disarming spell, but he deflected it. She had forgotten that he was quite skilled at magic. He quickly cast another spell at her, but she deflected his as well. The crowd circled around them and chants of Potter or Malfoy began echoing through the room. Both Draco and Leila stood there breathing heavily, watching the other. Malfoy quickly shot another spell at her; but she literally ducked down. It missed her and hit a mirror, causing it to explode and some screams to escape. Leila was about to aim another spell when her wand suddenly flew out of her hand, as did Draco's. "Potter, Malfoy, what is the meaning of this."

Both Draco and Leila's eyes widened in fear as they turned to see Professor Snape standing there menacingly holding their wands. Snape looked absolutely livid. Leila slowly stood up before shouting and pointing at Malfoy, "He started it!"

"I most certainly did not," Draco scoffed and Leila looked at him incredulously.

"Both of you-follow me. Now," Snape snapped. The intimidating professor quickly turned on his heel and billowed for the exit of the common room. Once was to the door, he turned to see that neither Draco nor Leila were following him. He scowled and clapped his hands furiously, indicating that they were in deep trouble. Leila narrowed her eyes at Malfoy before she stomped off behind Snape. Malfoy sneered at her behind her back and followed after the two of them-only to get his wand back. The two students followed Professor Snape until he led them into an abandoned corridor. "What has gotten into you two? You're both prefects! You two should not only _know_ better but you are supposed to _be_ an example to the younger students. Dueling in the common room in unacceptable...for either of you."

"If she'd just leave me alone, none of this would have happened," Malfoy drawled.

"Maybe if you weren't being a prat, none of this would have happened," Leila retorted.

"Silence!" Snape shouted, both Draco and Leila backed up a bit. "I don't care who did what-you were both dueling. For Merlin's sake, you are both likely candidates for Head Boy and Head Girl next year…"

"As if that matters any," Malfoy scoffed.

"You might not care, but I will not have you two ruining the name of Slytherin because of whatever it is going on between the two of you." Snape motioned between the two of them and Leila's face contorted in disgust at the mere hint of what he was suggesting. She was about to argue, when he continued. "Don't think that your behavior on the train hasn't reached my ears. Not mention what I witnessed in the Great Hall."

"You're going to punish us, aren't you?" Leila sighed.

"I want a thirteen inch essay on my desk by class tomorrow from each of you...and fix that mirror." With that Snape walked away from them, dropping their wands on the ground as he moved down the corridor.

Both Draco and Leila ran after him and picked up their wands. They stood on their haunches for a few seconds looking at each other in silence. Leila was trying to read him, but she couldn't quite figure him out. She sighed, "What happened to you?" You-you changed. Where's the Draco I've known for years?"

There was an awkward silence as he looked at the wall behind her and swallowed hard. He looked at her once again, but with an icy expression. "He died the day you got my father sent to Azkaban." He stood up sharply and began to walk away.

"Draco! I didn't mean for that to happen! Draco!"

"Just leave me alone, Potter."

Leila fell onto her bottom before she scooted back and leaned against the wall, twirling her wand in her fingers. She slowly exhaled. There was something going on with him; but there might also be something going on with her. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. She had been annoying Malfoy all day- _she_ , _her_. The very thought seemed preposterous; and yet, it was what happened. She ran her fingers through her hair before slowly walking back to the Slytherin dungeon.

Once inside the common room, she noticed that the mirror was still shattered. With a wave of her wand, the shards flew back into place and Leila looked around. Everyone was staring at her, but Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Not wanting to subject herself to such torture, Leila headed for the sixth year girls' dormitory. Once inside, she found that her belongings were in their normal place, at the end of the long rectangular room beside the last bed. It had been her spot since first year.

Daphne, Flora, and Hestia were already inside, but Leila mopily walked past them before she flung herself on her bed, scaring the living daylights out of Roman who pounced off her bed. Not in the mood for any conversation, she shut the emerald green curtains around her bed and leaned against her pillows hoping that the rest of the year wouldn't be _this bad_.

* * *

Meanwhile, Professor Snape stormed into Professor Dumbledore's office. He already had a dull headache from the Potter and Malfoy fiasco and now Dumbledore wanted to meet with him. He could already tell that those two teenagers were going to be a pain all year and surprisingly it wasn't the Malfoy and Potter combination he had expected to be so terrible. The Slytherin Head of House found the Headmaster on the upper level of his office. He slowly approached the old man, whose back was turned to him. "Severus," the man greeted.

"You wished to see me, Headmaster?" Snape questioned.

"Yes, I had a most fascinating meeting with Miss Potter this evening. I hate to ask this of you, Severus, but I fear she will be in need of a more watchful eye this year."

"She's already causing problems in my House. She and Malfoy were dueling in the common room...in front of first years, no less. Had I not intervened…"

"I believe tonight will be just the beginning of your problems with Miss Potter and Mr Malfoy, Severus."

"Why? What do you know?"

"From what I gather, I believe that Miss Potter already knows of Mr Malfoy's... _activities_." Dumbledore held up his hand as Snape began to question how she could possibly know. "I can read between the lines Severus and I believe that Mr Malfoy and Miss Potter share a connection that neither of them are aware of, not fully at least. You must do your best to keep them both safe this year. They're going to need you."

Snape nodded curtly and left Dumbledore's office. This year was probably going to be the most difficult yet-having to protect Draco Malfoy and Leila Potter...especially from each other.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hello friends! Here's another chapter! Thanks so much for all the support for this story. It really means a lot to me! :)**

* * *

 _You can check out Leila's tumblr (leilapotter) my author blog (missjanuarylily). Follow backs will come from (ellewinchester-uatw) Love yall!_


	9. School

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 9: School**

In the darkened sixth year Slytherin girls' dormitory, Leila Potter lay fast asleep and snuggled close to her pillow. A slightly snore escaped her mouth as she clenched her pillow tighter in her arms. Once again, her dreams had taken a very familiar turn:cries of _he's only a boy_ , screams, a pale arm branded with a Dark Mark, a hand with a Slytherin ring caressing a black wooden cabinet. Suddenly, new scenes flashed through her head: a green apple, a bird, the sound of tears in frustration. When the dream finally ended, Leila instantly sat up in bed panting quietly. She looked around to find herself enclosed in her four-poster bed with emerald hangings closed and Roman cuddled in a ball at her feet Attempting to steady her breathing, Leila reached down and gently pet the one thing who loved her unconditionally.

Pulling the hangings back, Leila swung her feet to the side of her bed before she stood up. She wrapped an afghan around her shoulders and took Roman in her arms before she walked them both to the nook across from her bed with a window that looked out into the Black Lake. Despite the fact she hated vast bodies of water and couldn't really swim, she found that this place was somewhat serene. She sat down beside the window, placing Roman in her lap, before leaning her cheek against the cool glass. "What are we going to do?" Leila whispered to Roman. "None of it makes any sense."

Roman gave a small meow which caused Leila to shake her head. "You're still a traitor, you know that?" Roman reached up and rubbed his face against hers. "That isn't going to earn you any points, mister." Roman meowed once more before he jumped from Leila's lap and walked away. "Fine, you go and do your kitty things then. I-I'll just sit here...and think...after I get started on that blasted essay." After she had gathered her parchment and quill, Leila lay on her stomach in the nook attempting to formulate words on paper. It wasn't going well, but she was almost done with the thing when she decided to give up for the night. Leila curled into a ball on the floor and readjusted the afghan around her body before her eyelids seemed to grow heavy and soon she was fast asleep again.

When morning finally came, Daphne walked over and gently shook the Potter girl awake. It took several failed attempts, but eventually Leila's emerald eyes flashed open in confusion. For a moment she didn't know where she was, but after a few seconds her breathing returned to normal and she slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Leila, you overslept," Daphne gently chided. "I thought you were sitting here, ready for the day; not still sleeping. How'd you end up over here?"

"I-I had a nightmare," was all Leila offered.

"About?"

"I don't remember." It was a lie, but Daphne slowly nodded her head, believing what Leila told her. Leila looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table before mentally calculating how long it would take her to get ready for the day. She was going to be late for breakfast. Leila turned and groaned at Daphne, "Snape's gonna kill me."

"Not if you hurry up, he won't. So hurry, I'll wait for you."

"There's no sense in him murdering both of us. Might as well be me, I still have a thirteen inch essay I haven't written for him yet."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, go on. If you don't see me in the next thirty minutes, Snape is probably trying to hide my dead body; which I would really like you to find."

Daphne chuckled at her friend's odd response before she walked over and grabbed her book bag. She hugged Leila goodbye before she walked out of the dormitory with Flora and Hestia Carrow. This left Leila alone with Pansy, Tracey, and Millicent. Not wanting to start something with them and only further delay the inevitable, Leila quickly grabbed her clothes and practically sprinted to the sixth year girls' lavatory.

Leila attempted to quickly shower, but the warm water cascading against her delayed her a bit. When she was done, she tip-toed out of the shower with an emerald green towel wrapped around her back into the dormitory. Discarding the towel, she quickly dressed in her Slytherin attire. She opted for a pleated skirt, a white button-up shirt, an emerald tie with silver stripes, and a cardigan. Her outer Slytherin robe she would throw on when she had done something to her dripping-wet hair. Not having time to really do much to it, Leila braided her dark hair back in a single plait. She reached down for her book bag and Slytherin robe before heading out the door. Leila was barely out the door when she remembered her prefect's badge was still on her bedside table and her essay on the floor. With a groan, she ran back to grab them, slipped them in her book bag temporarily, and took off in a sprint for the door out of the Slytherin dungeon.

Snape was definitely going to kill her. Normally, missing breakfast wouldn't have been such a big deal; but this was the first day of term. It was the day they were assigned their classes. If she missed breakfast, she would miss receiving her time table, which would result in a whole mess of things for one's first day of term. No, Leila wished to spare herself of _that_ embarrassment of having to track Snape down just to get her timetable.

As Leila walked, she tried to slip her outer robe on; but it proved to be rather difficult. During her ascent to the Great Hall, Leila walked by two lost first year Slytherin boys. The boys were arguing about how to get to the Great Hall. It honestly wasn't _that_ hard to get to there; but knowing that her prefect duties would require her to assist them, Leila called for them to follow her. For a moment, the two boys stopped and stared at her in shock. With a roll of her eyes, she turned around and groaned.

"What is it?" Leila questioned; but she immediately knew the moment those words left her mouth that she shouldn't have spoken them.

"You're-you're Leila Potter," one boy stammered. "I-I've read all about you."

"The-the Girl Who Lived. You're..." the other boy started.

"I don't go by that," Leila interrupted as she pulled her prefect badge from her bag and pinned it on her robe. "So I suggest you not use it. Now, if you two are done gawking, I'd like to get to the Great Hall. Unless, you'd prefer to piss off Snape even worse and land yourselves in detention."

With that, Leila spun on her heel and walked away from the two boys. She looked over her shoulder at them before facing forward again and counting down with her fingers. Three...two….one...the sound of footsteps pattering closer toward her started. The two boys caught up to her and followed her up to the Great Hall. They asked her questions as they walked, most of which Leila ignored. When they finally reached the Great Hall, most of the students had already finished eating breakfast and were comparing timetables. Leila then turned to the boys with her hands placed on her hips. "Do I need to make a map for you to find the Slytherin table?"

They boys shook their head before they scurried to find their friends who were already seated at the Slytherin table. For a moment, Leila scanned the Gryffindor table and noticed that her brother was talking with Granger and Ron. There was a slight pang of jealousy within her; but it was short lived when someone ran into her from behind which sent her flying forward into the end of the Gryffindor table. "Watch it, Potter," was all she heard before Leila turned to see Malfoy's back.

"Arse," Leila muttered. Why was he acting like this? She could have sworn there was a moment last night when he hadn't been a complete as arse; but maybe she had been seeing things. Realizing that the Gryffindors seated at the end of the table were now staring at her, Leila pushed herself into a standing position before she said, "You're welcome." With that, she walked toward the Slytherin table.

Leila took a seat beside Daphne at the Slytherin table. "You're late," Daphne casually commented as she looked down at her timetable.

"You already knew I was going to be late," Leila groaned as she she reached for a piece of toast.

"Yeah, but Draco happened to be just as late as you were." Daphne raised an eyebrow. It was obvious, Daphne was just trying to tease her; but Leila wasn't in the mood.

"Really? Really?"

"Leave her alone, Daphne," Theo said from his seat across from them. Leila nodded her head and mouthed _thank you_ as Daphne explained that she was only teasing her. Theo looked at Leila and smiled. "Sleep well?"

"Fairly well," Daphne answered, not realizing the question had been directed at Leila. "You?"

"I-uh, fine, I guess. I woke up when Malfoy got back to the room. He tripped over Crabbe's trunk and caused a ruckus."

"Back from where?" Leila questioned.

"Dunno. He left the dungeon again after you girls went to your dormitory and didn't show back up until after most of us had gone asleep. He was probably off snogging Parkinson or something." Leila's brow furrowed for a moment as she looked down the table to see Malfoy talking with Professor Snape. Neither looked pleased to be in each other's company which puzzled her even more. Nothing was making sense. "And Leila, what about you?" Theo said interrupting her thoughts.

"Hm? What about me?"

"How'd you sleep?"

"She had nightmares last night," Daphne answered for her. "Found her sleeping in her nook looking out into the lake."

Theo blinked several times looking to Leila with concern written on his face, but Leila was quick to stop that. "I'm fine," the Potter girl answered. "Everyone gets nightmares at some point or another. Besides, they were probably about the essay I had to write for Snape."

"But you're-you're different," Theo offered, knowing full-well of her brother's visions.

"No, I'm not-not really. I'm just…"

"Leila Potter," a voice drawled from behind her which immediately made her cringe. Without even needing to turn around, Leila knew the voice belonged to Snape. She turned around and attempted to give him a fake smile, but he only stood there with his arms folded across his chest and several timetables in his hand. "You're late."

"But sir, I was only doing my prefect duty and helping lost first years," Leila argued. She knew it wasn't best to argue with Snape, but she was already in enough trouble with him as it was that she didn't need any more offenses.

"How remarkable," Snape drawled. "You and Mr Malfoy both happened to be late and helping first years. What a coincidence."

"It's almost unbelievable, isn't it, Malfoy?" Leila directed toward Malfoy. He briefly glanced at her before he returned to taking a bite of his breakfast while Pansy discusses his timetable. "Prat," Leila muttered under her breath; but Snape had heard her.

"Need I remind you about the essay you already owe me?" With a groan, Leila rolled her eyes. She had forgotten about the essay. Her only hope was that Defense was the last class of the day on her timetable, so she could finish the essay. She then turned to look at Professor Snape and shook her head. "Then I await your essay on my desk."

"Did you hear that, Malfoy?" Leila called without looking at the boy. Professor Snape whacked her on the head with the timetables. "Sorry, sir." Leila then reached out her hand for Snape to hand over her timetable; but he never placed it in her hand. Awkwardly, she put her hand down and looked up at her professor.

"Given your tardiness, I do not have time to go over schedule at great length."

"That's fine, sir. Why don't we skip an awkward conversation because I've already thought a bit about it. I was thinking of continuing in Charms, Defense, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy, Astronomy, and Ancient Runes. Does that sound about right?"

"Is it still your ambition to become a teacher?" Leila watched as Snape raised an eyebrow. He was still very cynical about her decision.

Leila tugged at the collar of her shirt as she remembered her meeting with Snape last year to discuss her future. As if discussing her future with Snape wasn't awkward enough, Snape had thought that she was attempting to suck-up to him with her desire to be a teacher. Needless to say, the meeting hadn't gone over very well; but teaching was definitely something she was interested in. Especially after last year when she had taken to tutoring Neville Longbottom in almost every subject. She knew it was something she was good at. Besides, it was more realistic than her becoming a professional Quidditch player. Although, she probably should have gone with a Quidditch player in her meeting last year.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yes, it is, sir."

"Then I suggest you continue in History of Magic. A N.E.W.T. is strongly recommended." Leila nodded her head before Snape grudgingly handed over her timetable and narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't be late."

Leila looked at her timetable and groaned.

 **Monday:** _Ancient Runes, Defense, Arithmancy, Free Period, Double Potions_

 **Tuesday:** _Double Transfiguration, Defense, History of Magic, Herbology, Ancient Runes_

 **Wednesday:** _Double Charms, Defense, Free Period, Double Potions_

 **Thursday:** _Transfiguration, Double Herbology, Free Period, Arithmancy, Astronomy_

 **Friday:** _Transfiguration, History of Magic, Defense, Charms_

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the second class on her docket for the day and she still hadn't quite finished her essay. Daphne excused herself to go back to the common room since she wasn't taking Ancient Runes. Leila quickly pulled her essay out of her book bag and began furiously tapping her quill against her parchment.

"You could say something about Slytherins needing to stick together otherwise our House will crumble," Theo suggested as he read Leila's essay upside down. "You know, just a suggestion."

"Theo, you're brilliant," Leila said with a smile before putting her quill to the parchment. "Rambling about that is easily worth three inches. Go on then-keep going."

"How many more inches do you need?" Theo looked curiously at her and Leila met his gaze before she shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about that, this is due before Defense."

"Leila Potter, acquiring my assistance?" Leila rolled her eyes at Theo's teasing. "I feel honored."

"Either help me or shut it." Theo chuckled as Leila furiously scrawled words onto the parchment. He then continued to tell her what to write and Leila scribbled down everything he told her. She had just barely finished her last sentence when Theo suggested that they walk to class. Leila shoved her parchment in her book bag before following Theo out of the Great Hall.

Together, the two Slytherins walked to the moving stairs and maneuvered their way up to the sixth floor where the Ancient Runes classroom was located. As they walked, Theo and Leila amiably conversed. From what she gathered, Theo missed his father, which was understandable and his spending the summer with his gran was rather dull. So, he was actually glad to be back at Hogwarts.

"I thought you weren't planning on continuing Ancient Runes," Leila commented as they walked into the classroom.

"Changed my mind," Theo said with a shrug.

"What changed your mind?"

"You." Leila rolled her eyes at his response and she could feel a slight blush creeping up her neck; but she wasn't going to comment on it any more.

There were five other students already in the classroom when they arrived: Hermione Granger, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, Lisa Turpin, and Ernie Macmillan. Nearly a third of their class from last year had dropped the subject, which somewhat surprised her. It wasn't an easy subject, but it certainly wasn't the most difficult thing to master. Leila slipped into a desk with Theo. She had set her book bag on the floor for a moment and when she moved to grab it, a foot kicked it. The book bag slid forward and stopped beside Granger's desk in the front of the room. Leila groaned, but when she looked up to see who had kicked her bag; her face contorted in anger.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Leila hissed looking right at Draco Malfoy.

"Move," Malfoy sneered. "I'm sitting there."

"You're mental if you think I'm moving. I was here first."

"I'm not sitting next to the Mudblood."

"Looks like you're going to have to. Next time, try getting here a little earlier." Malfoy slammed his books down onto the desktop, causing Leila to sit up straight. She moved to push them off; but his hands rested on top of his books so they didn't move. "Go away," Leila grunted.

"Is there a problem here?" Professor Babbling asked as she approached the Slytherin group.

"There won't be as long as Potter gives me back my spot," Malfoy hissed. Professor Babbling looked between the two Slytherins, trying to figure out what was going on. "Her bag is up there and these are my books."

"My bag is only up there because you kicked it," Leila retorted. "I was here first. Does that mean nothing?"

"Miss Potter, please take the empty seat beside Miss Granger," Professor Babbling sighed before walking back to the front of the room.

Leila narrowed her eyes at Malfoy before she stood up. She attempted to make herself look taller compared to him and make it look like she wasn't going to back down; but he wasn't paying her any attention. More than anything she wanted to push him toward the seat beside Granger; but there was no use in arguing with a teacher.

When Leila walked past Malfoy, she purposely ran her shoulder into him. He hadn't been expecting this, so his hands slipped and caused his books to go falling to the floor. Leila smirked as the class laughed at Malfoy, who muttered to himself, while she slowly trudged to the front of the classroom. With a sigh, she slumped into the seat beside Granger who was already busy with her nose in the Ancient Runes textbook. "Not a word, Granger," Leila whispered in a menacing tone.

"Wasn't even going to say anything," Granger commented without taking her eyes from the page she was reading. Leila scowled before she practically threw herself onto desktop, so that her head and arms rested on it.

"Welcome to Ancient Runes, sixth years," Professor Babbling welcomed. "I suppose I ought to congratulate you on passing your O.W.L exams. Afterall if you hadn't, you wouldn't be here. Why don't we start right where we left off last year? Let's have a little quiz to see what you remember."

Leila wanted to groan, but it was Malfoy's groan that deterred her from doing so. She looked over her shoulder to see a scowl on Malfoy's face and Theo didn't look too happy about it either. To be honest, the only one who practically beamed was Granger. Professor Babbling set a quiz on Leila's desk, so the Potter girl picked up her quill and started to answer the questions. At least this quiz wasn't as annoying as the one Lockhart set second year.

Granger was the first one to finish her quiz, but Leila wasn't far behind her. The two of them had to sit in silence as they waited for the rest of their classmates to finish. Leila strummed her fingers against the wood desk, but Granger swatted at her hand with her head still in that bloody book. The Potter girl stuck her tongue out at Granger before rested her head on her hands to wait. When the quiz was over, Professor Babbling moved to a lecture. If that wasn't bad enough, the woman assigned a fifteen inch essay, two translations, and several readings for Wednesday. If it was possible, N.E.W.T. level classes might kill her before Voldemort even got a chance.

Ancient Runes finally ended and Leila packed her things. By the time her bag was packed and she turned around, Malfoy was gone. She had planned on giving him a piece of her mind; but that would be impossible without him there. Instead, Theo leaned against the back wall of the classroom waiting for her. "Where is he?" Leila asked.

"Malfoy?" Theo questioned. "Had his things packed up ten minutes ago and bolted when Babbling excused us."

"He's such a prat. I don't know how you're friends with him."

"I could say the same thing about your Gryffindor friends, you know."

"That's different."

"Is it really?"

"Yes." Leila rolled her eyes and stomped out of the classroom. Theo chased after her, easily catching up in a matter of a few steps. "Fine, maybe it isn't _so_ different, but that doesn't change the fact that Malfoy's a prat."

"Never said he wasn't."

Leila chuckled and playfully pushed Theo. The pair then descended a staircase headed for the third floor's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As they neared the classroom, they caught up to Harry and Ron who were in a funeral march toward the room. It was obvious the two Gryffindor boys were dreading having Snape teach Defense. Both Leila and Theo chuckled at them; but Harry seemed to slow his pace down even more and then glare back at the two Slytherins. Ron looked back at Leila, shrugged, and mouthed the word _sorry_ to her. Over the years, Ron had become like a brother to her...although, there was that awkward phase when Ron fancied her fourth year; but she was pretty sure he had gotten over it.

"Is it just me or is _he_ not happy to see us together?" Theo whispered.

"I think he's still upset about last year," Leila whispered back. "But honestly he has nothing to worry about, we're only friends." Theo awkwardly nodded his head and Leila couldn't help but wonder if he disagreed with her; but she wasn't going to jeopardize their friendship again. "You go on. I-I'll take care of this."

Leila gently patted Theo on the arm before she jogged a few steps to catch up with her brother and looped her arm through his. Harry and Ron came to a stop as Theo walked by them. The Slytherin boy wished Leila good luck and Harry looked at her incredulously. "What's he playing at?"

"Nothing. He's only joking, Harry. Theo and I are just friends."

"That's not what it seemed like last year," Ron commented with a fake cough which caused Leila to roll her eyes. "What? I'm just saying what I saw."

"Well, for your information, that's exactly what he was doing last year-being my friend."

"You Slytherins have an odd definition of friendship." Leila gently smacked at Ron's arm for that comment. "Sorry...sorry."

"I shouldn't have to explain anything to you," Leila said pointing at her brother. "You should trust me to make my own decisions."

"Well, snogging Slytherins is always the wrong decision," Harry added straight-faced.

"You do realize I am a Slytherin, so you'd be including me in that."

"Exactly."

"Harry, you prat." Leila reached for her rolled parchment and moved to his her brother with it, but he dodged her attack.

"It's my job as your brother to look out for you." Harry held both of his sister's arms in his hands to keep her from hitting him. "Isn't that right Ron?"

Ron looked about ready to answer Harry's question until he found Leila glaring at him. Honestly, he'd rather not get involved in an argument between Harry and Leila, because it never ended well. While he could see where Harry was coming from; he also knew that if he did to Ginny what Harry was doing to Leila-well, Ginny would hex him. Ron cleared his throat, "Just give her a break, mate."

Harry groaned and released Leila's arms. The trio continued walking down the corridor to find Professor Snape standing guard outside the classroom door. With her parchment in hand, shoulders set, and head held high Leila walked toward her professor. She couldn't help but smirk as she stopped in front of her professor, holding out her essay for him to grab. Snape took it and Leila turned around to look at her brother. "No, Harry, I will not profess my undying love for Professor Snape for as little as ten Galleons. Make it twenty and we'll talk."

Leila winked at her brother before she stepped into the classroom. Snape seemed to tense at her words and Harry just looked at her in pure shock. Harry looked to Snape before he tried to run past him; but Professor Snape smacked Harry on the back of the head with Leila's rolled-up essay. Leila stopped to watch the scene, laughing so hard her sides hurt.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble with him?" Harry hissed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Would I ever do something like that?" Leila asked innocently to which Harry nodded his head vigorously. "If you ask me, you're more than capable of doing _that_ on your own."

"Well, I didn't ask you, now did I?"

"You don't have to, I'm your sister...it's my job." Leila left her brother's side and walked toward the seat Daphne had saved for her. The room was eerily quiet, and she could see why. If it was possible, it seemed gloomier than usual. The windows were covered by drawn curtains and the only source of light was candle light. Not to mention the creepy paintings now hung on the wall made you feel in pain just looking at them. Leila didn't really like the new decor, but it was a million times better than the pink vomit and kitten plates that once adorned the office upstairs.

Snape walked to the front of the room, his cloak billowing behind him. He sharply turned around and narrowed his eyes at the class. "I have not asked you to take out your books," the professor hissed. The Slytherins, including Leila snickered at Hermione Granger who immediately dropped her copy of _Confronting the Faceless_. "I wish to speak with you and I demand your fullest attention."

"This ought to be good," Daphne whispered to Leila, who nodded before looking over at her brother. Harry's fists were already clenched into balls. Leila just hoped her brother could bite his tongue long enough to survive the first class period.

"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. So naturally, these teachers will have all had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised this many of you scaped and O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

Leila looked over at Neville who appeared to be cowering a bit; but he was trying to mask it. He was afraid of Snape and having the man teach this course was probably his worst nightmare.

Snape began to slowly circle the classroom as he continued, "The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before…"

"Isn't that a hydra?" Leila whispered, to which Daphne nodded her head. "Then why not say _hydra_. We're not imbeciles."

"Is that so, Miss Potter?" Snape drawled from beside her.

Leila slowly blinked before responding, "Well, I'm sure there are some of us in the room who would fall into the category." Leila looked to her brother and then back at Malfoy.

"Then please inform us what the artists are trying to depict in these pictures."

Leila cleared her throat. She wasn't sure if this was a trap or not. She couldn't help but remember when she found herself in a very similar situation her first year.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 1st year~*~**_

 _"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few..." Snape began as he nodded at Draco. "Who possess, the predisposition... I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death." Snape stopped suddenly before he looked over to Harry who was writing furiously. Leila looked to Snape unsure of what he was going to do next. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention!"_

 _Professor Snape narrowed his eyes at Harry who just continued to write. Harry was completely oblivious to what was going on as the class stared at him and Snape glared at him. Granger, who sat beside him kept making faces to get him to notice, but even that didn't work._

 _"Harry," Leila hissed._

 _Harry looked over to Leila who nodded her head in Snape's direction. Harry then set his quill down and looked directly at Snape. The loathing look he was giving Harry was far more terrifying than any look he had given her so far. She had to admit that even she was scared for Harry._

 _"Mr. Potter…our new celebrity," Snape drawled. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"_

 _By this point, Snape was leaning over the desk where Harry sat, practically towering directly over him. Harry looked to Ron for help as Hermione Granger's hand shot straight up in the air. Leila wanted to roll her eyes, but she didn't want to look away from her brother. After a few moments of silence, Professor Snape gave Harry an "I'm waiting" look. Harry looked to Ron once more who shrugged his shoulders._

 _"I don't know, sir," Harry answered._

 _Snape sneered at Harry. "Tut—tut, clearly fame isn't everything," Snape then turned to Leila. "And what of our other so-called, celebrity? Is she as dunderheaded as her brother?"_

 _Leila's mouth gaped open for a second before her sense of self-preservation came over her._

 _"I'm sorry sir, can you repeat the question?" Leila asked timidly._

 _Snape repeated his question, careful to enunciate every syllable. Leila felt like he was mocking her with every word that flowed from his mouth, which didn't help matters because she still didn't know the answer. Just as Leila was about to answer that she also didn't know, Draco slid a piece of parchment over to her with the words Draught of Living Death written on it. The parchment was blocked from Professor Snape's line of sight by her textbook. Leila took a deep breath before she looked over to Draco who nodded to her. She then looked back to her brother before she looked up to Professor Snape not quite sure how to proceed._

 _"Miss Potter?" Snape drawled._

 _"Erm-Draught of Living Death, sir," Leila answered._

 _Leila could feel her cheeks practically start on fire. She was careful to avoid Draco's smirk and Harry's incredulous look. She must have answered correctly because Hermione Granger's hand went down but Leila just kept focused on Professor Snape who narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before something similar to a smile, but not quite, spread across his face. Leila pulled at the collar of her shirt nervously as Snape took a few steps closer to Leila but still within arms-reach of Harry. He glanced at Leila before sharply turning toward Harry once more._

 _"Let's try again, Mr. Potter," Snape started again. "Tell me, where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"_

 _Leila knew that Harry didn't have a clue to this one either. Once again, Hermione Granger's hand shot-up into the air. Draco and his friend seemed to laugh at Harry's expense, but Draco still had time to scrawl the words goat's stomach on the same parchment as the previous answer before Harry gave-up._

 _"I don't know, sir," Harry answered again._

 _"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Snape drawled before turning once more to Leila. "Let's see if Miss Potter was just having some beginner's luck."_

 _Draco flashed her the piece of parchment once more, but she already remembered what was scrawled on it. No, right now she was torn between getting on Snape's somewhat decent side or completely embarrassing her brother. She wasn't exactly sure which road she wanted to take. Leila looked to Harry only to see Hermione Granger's hand still raised high, practically falling off her stool because she was waving her arm so vigorously._

 _"A goat's stomach," Leila whispered._

 _"What was that?" Snape hissed._

 _"Goat's stomach."_

 _"Well, well, Potter, your sister is two for two while you're zero for two. Perhaps the third time is the charm for the is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"_

 _Leila tried to mouth the words "same thing" to Harry, but Draco was the only one who saw her and he knew that he didn't need to feed her the answer._

 _"I don't know," Harry responded quickly before looking to Granger whose arm was practically quivering in anticipation. "I think Hermione does, so why don't you try her?"Several of the Gryffindors snickered which did not please Snape._

 _"Or perhaps Potter, if you were smart enough, you should have looked to your sister who was mouthing you the correct answer," Snape sneered._

 _Leila's hands flung over her mouth. She desperately hoped that Snape wasn't on a roll and was now going to come after her too. She didn't know if she could handle that, even if she was trying to help her brother…which was technically cheating._

 _"For you and that thick head of yours, Potter, monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant which also goes by the name aconite," Snape continued. "Well, why aren't you all copying down this and what Miss Potter told you?"_

 _The class, except for Leila, Draco, and Hermione began to rummage through their book bags for parchment and a quill. Snape turned his back toward them as the class began to put quill to parchment on the information that was just given. Leila could see Harry with his face red and purposely avoiding looking at her. She buried her head in her arms that were rested on the table._

 _"Five points to Slytherin for Miss Potter outsmarting her dunderheaded brother who lost a point for Gryffindor due to his cheek," Snape drawled._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila tugged her cardigan sleeves over her wrist somewhat nervously as she glanced up at her professor. Not to mention that Malfoy wasn't around to slip her the answers this time; but she didn't need him. She was intelligent enough and she had earned her second place spot in the class. Snape pointed to the first painting and immediately, Hermione Granger's hand went up. Leila rolled her eyes before she looked at what was painted. The first portrait was of a woman clearly screaming in agony. "That's one of the Unforgivables, sir. More specifically, the Cruciatus Curse."

"How do you defend against it?" Snape said with his eyes narrowing.

"You can't, sir. You can try to dodge it, but once it's placed, you have no choice but to endure the torture." For a moment, Leila closed her eyes thinking about _that_ curse before she looked over to Neville. His parents had been driven mad because Bellatrix Lestrange had tortured them with that curse.

Snape then walked to the next portrait. Again, Granger's hand flew up; but Leila ignored her and examined the portrait. It was of a wizard slumped against a wall with a blank expression. His eyes looked dead, but his body did not. Leila sighed having had first experience with this. "The Dementor's Kiss, sir. It sucks the very life from your soul, leaving one a shell of their former self."

"Correct. How do you defend against the Dementor's Kiss?" Granger's hand went up again and Snape narrowed his eyes at her.

"A very powerful Patronus Charm, in its corporeal form, sir."

Snape appeared to be mulling things over for a moment before he moved to another portrait. "What about this one, Potter?"

For a moment, Leila appeared stumped. She looked around the classroom; but all eyes were on her. Even Granger was debating between raising her hand or not. Leila then looked at the portrait closely, it was of a bloody mass on the ground. She closed her eyes for a moment. That picture seemed familiar...like she had seen it in a book before. A book she had seen in Grimmauld place...in a room she wasn't supposed to be in. Then it clicked and Leila answered hesitantly, "Inferius, sir?"

"That is correct. Five points to Slytherin for Miss Potter's performance. Five points from Gryffindor for Miss Granger's annoying hand raising. This was a conversation between Miss Potter and myself, Granger."

Leila blinked slowly for a moment as the Gryffindors in the room began to whisper. Snape called them to attention again when Daphne leaned over toward Leila. "And you say he doesn't like you."

"No, he doesn't," Leila whispered back. "He likes Slytherin."

Knowing that he had lost ground to make up for, Snape then had the sixth years divide into pairs to practice nonverbal shields. Leila smiled gently, half the students in the room already knew how perform a shield charm from Dumbledore's Army last year. Now they would just have to master the nonverbal part. Leila herself had attempted a nonverbal a few times before her O.W.L.s; but she hadn't fully mastered the concept. It shouldn't take her long to figure out it out though. Like Granger, Leila was an overachiever; but the only people Leila liked to lord it over were Malfoy and Granger. Otherwise, she preferred to move on and then help others master the skill.

Daphne and Leila remained partners as they walked toward the back of the room where the other Slytherins gathered. "Why don't you go first?" Daphne suggested. "I have a feeling you already know a bit about this and I'd rather not make a fool of myself right away."

Leila shrugged her shoulders before she put her wand at the ready. Daphne's wand shot out a Leg-Locking Jinx which Leila almost blocked nonverbally; but she lost her concentration and she fell to the floor. Daphne quickly performed the counterspell and the two girls went at it again. With a bit more concentration, five minutes later Leila was able to nonverbally shield herself from Daphne's curses. Leila practically beamed with satisfaction because she mastered the concept before Granger. Even Snape awarded her another ten points for mastering it so soon. Leila wiggled her eyebrows when Granger looked over, practically in disbelief. It took Granger another five minutes to master a nonverbal shield and Snape awarded Gryffindor no points for her second place finish.

When it was Daphne's turn to block Leila's spells, the blonde girl looked at Theo nervously before looking to her brunette friend with her wand at the ready. "How do you do it?" Daphne asked.

"Just concentrate," Leila said with a shoulder shrug.

"Easy for you to say." Daphne sighed in defeat before putting her wand at the ready. Leila was about to cast a spell toward Daphne, when the blonde lowered her wand and nodded. "That doesn't look good."

Leila turned around to see her brother with his wand at the ready; but he wasn't dueling Ron. Harry was dueling Snape. Snape quickly turned his wand on Harry and the Potter boy forgot all about nonverbals and shouted " _Protego!_ " Harry's Shield Charm was so strong, that it knocked Snape off balance and the man went flying before crashing onto a desk. "No, definitely not good," Leila whispered to Daphne. Snape stood upright again and scowled at Harry. Leila bit her bottom lip nervously, "Harry, don't be stupid. Don't be stupid. You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" Harry then gave Snape a smart-aleck retort. "Yup, he did something stupid."

That was how Harry Potter landed himself a detention the first day of school...again. Leila was thankful that she wouldn't be sharing in that detention with him. Although, if she and Malfoy didn't watch themselves around Snape, they would probably land in detention sooner or later. Speaking of Malfoy, after Snape excused them, he quickly snuck out of the room. Leila ran to grab her belongings to follow him; but Daphne intercepted her. "Would you care to spend our break down by the lake after lunch?"

"We have Arithmancy before lunch," Leila said as she shoved her parchment and quills in her bag.

"Don't remind me. I'm trying to think happy thoughts."

Leila rolled her eyes before she moved to catch up with Daphne so she was no longer being dragged. Daphne's hand released Leila's wrist before she looped her arm through her friend's. Together, the girls walked to Arithmancy, where they were reunited with Theo. The Slytherin trio shared a table toward the back of the classroom and chatted before class began. Much to Leila's dismay, Professor Vector gave her usual boring first day speech. It hadn't changed one bit since third year, which was rather annoying. The thing that did change though was the amount of homework the woman assigned on the first day. They had another essay to write and several chapters of reading.

With their bags full of homework, the Slytherin trio walked down to the Great Hall for lunch. The last thing they wanted to discuss was their homework load, so instead Theo brought up what happened in Defense. When Leila was about halfway done with her turkey sandwich, Professor McGonagall walked over to her. "Miss Potter," the older woman said.

"I didn't do anything, I swear," Leila burst out before her hands flew over her mouth. Professor McGonagall gave her a quizzical look before she shook her head and handed her another letter. "We've got to stop meeting like this," Leila said with a cheeky grin before she opened the envelope. It was a note requesting her presence in Professor McGonagall's classroom during her free period. Leila folded the note before looking up at the woman. "Is this about last night? Because Snape already made me write a thirteen inch essay for second period. Isn't that torture enough?"

"I do know know to what you are referring, Miss Potter and I feel I don't want to know what mischief you managed to find yourself in. You are not in trouble...yet, I simply wish to meet with the top three sixth years." Leila slowly nodded her head, knowing that she put her foot in her mouth, so to speak. "If you see Mr Malfoy, let him know his presence is required as well." With that, Professor McGonagall walked away from the Slytherin table.

When Leila finished eating lunch, she left Daphne and walked to Professor McGonagall's classroom, to find Granger already there and working on homework. A wizard named Adrian, was introduced; but Leila hadn't a clue what he was doing there; but Professor McGonagall wasn't going to share until all three of them were there. It was another ten minutes before Professor Snape escorted Malfoy into the room. "Excuse Mr Malfoy's tardiness. He was with me," Snape drawled. Malfoy didn't appear to happy to have Snape covering for him. Normally, the boy would be elated by such a prospect, instead he just scowled and sat at a desk in the back of the room.

Professor McGonagall then finally explained that the three of them were needed for a photograph for the _Daily Prophet_ to announce the top three in the class following their O.W.L. results. The photograph would also be added to the collection in the Trophy room, off the Great Hall. When Professor McGonagall told Malfoy he came in third, he didn't react. Granted, Leila had spoiled that for him last night; but his face seemed almost void of emotion.

The group then lined up for their photograph. Professor McGonagall arranged them. She first put Granger in the middle, but Adrian told her that the photograph wouldn't look right with her in the middle. Eventually, they settled on putting Malfoy in the middle and the girls on either side of him. The photographer took many pictures. Each flash made Leila flashback to the Triwizard Tournament which she had been forced to enter with her brother. She remembered being photographed with Cedric and the others; but Leila brushed it off.

In the present day photograph, Granger beamed proudly, Leila gave it her best smile, while Malfoy barely managed a face that wasn't a scowl. Although, it took the photographer nearly eight tries to get a decent one. Their afternoon break was nearly over when Professor McGonagall finally excused them. With a sigh, Leila slowly followed Granger to Potions. There really wasn't time to go anywhere else and still make it to class on time.

Leila was surprised when she walked in the classroom to find Daphne, Blaise, and Pansy already seated around around a table. She crossed the room to sit by her fellow Slytherins. When she was almost to the table, Parkinson jumped from her stool and stood there with her arms across her chest.

"That seat is saved for Drakie," Pansy stated, putting her hand out to stop Leila from coming any farther.

"I don't see his name laying claim anywhere," Leila retorted.

"You're not wanted here, Potter. Run along and go play with your Mudblood friend." Pansy gestured to the table where Granger sat alone.

"She's not my friend. Is that not clear by the fact that I'm willing to subject myself to the tortures of sharing a table with _you_?"

"You'd better watch yourself, Potter."

"Is that a threat Parkinson? Because it's a rather pathetic one. Then again, you probably think Malfoy's threats are quite impressive, don't you?"

"Don't talk about him like that."

"Or what? You're going to threaten me again? It just might work this time."

In the background, Daphne groaned. She knew that Leila was just trying to rile Pansy up for the years of _torture_ she had been subjected to. Out of nowhere, Professor Slughorn swooped in and wrapped an arm around Leila's shoulder. "Leila how good it is to see you. Is everything quite alright over here?"

Leila smirked before and raised an eyebrow at Pansy before she responded, "Practically perfect, Professor."

Slughorn then gently turned her, so that their backs were now to the Slytherins before Slughorn's voice dropped a little quieter. "Where is your brother?"

Inwardly, Leila wanted to make some snappy retort that she wasn't her brother's keeper, but instead she took a deep breath and answered, "I'm not sure, sir."

"I do hope he makes it-I was rather looking forward to having both the Potter twins...especially, _The Chosen One._ "

Leila rolled her eyes at the end of his sentence. He was doing so well until he pegged that bit onto the end. Instead, Leila muttered, "I'm not sure Professor Snape would share your sentiments."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sir." Leila rubbed the back of her head.

"Nonetheless, I look forward to teaching you-second in your class I'm told _and_ prefect. You certainly are your mother's daughter." Slughorn patted her on the back before he walked away from her. Leila stood there for a moment dumbfounded. One minute he was going on about her brother and the other, he was complimenting her. Leila cracked her neck before she turned around and smacked straight into Malfoy who was sitting on the stool she had planned to take. He didn't move as Leila was pressed up against him. Leila stood there, waiting for him to say something, but instead he just stared at the Slytherin ring on his hand. As she bit her bottom lip, her eyes focused on his ring as well, as she remained awkwardly pressed up against him.

Leila didn't even notice the glares she was receiving from Pansy. Being ignored frustrated Pansy, so she reached under the table with her foot and kicked Leila. But instead of forcing the Potter girl away from Malfoy, Leila went crashing onto Draco's lap. He instantly tensed as Leila scrambled to push herself out of his lap. Leila's head flipped back quickly and hit the table, causing her to go crashing down once more, falling to the floor clinging tightly to Draco's legs. He slowly attempted to pull his leg free from her grasp. With her face a flame, Leila sheepishly stood up and walked away, not interested in causing more embarrassment for the time being.

She looked around the classroom, once again finding that the only open spot in the classroom was at a table with Hermione Granger. Grudgingly, Leila trudged across the room and plopped down on the stool furthest from where Granger sat. Leila buried her head in her arms on the table, hoping that no one had seen that, but knowing full-well, that the entire student body would know of her embarrassment by dinner.

"Good afternoon, class," Professor Slughorn called the class to attention before motioning them to gather around his teaching table. "Gather 'round, gather 'round."

With a groan, Leila stood up and scanned her classmates, who all still seemed to be laughing at her. Even Daphne couldn't hide the smile on her face; but thankfully, her friend walked to stand over by her. Leila asked to murder her; but Daphne shook her head and chuckled as Slughorn began to explain about the three potions before them that he had brewed. Only a few words into Slughorn's explanation about the first potion, Harry walked through the door literally dragging Ron behind him. Slughorn seemed to brighten at the sight of Harry.

"Harry m'boy, I was beginning to worry, especially since Leila couldn't vouch for your whereabouts. But I see you've brought someone with you..." Slughorn began.

Leila looked to see Daphne roll her eyes as Ron introduced himself. Harry made mention of not having any textbooks, but Slughorn directed them to the cupboard where he stored the extra books. "And to think I thought I was actually going to be able to enjoy Potions this year…" Daphne whispered.

"Is it even possible for one to actually enjoy Potions?" Leila joked. Daphne pretended to laugh at Leila's joke before she deadpanned. Leila rolled her eyes at her friend before she folded her arms across her chest.

Slughorn asked the class if they could deduce the concoctions he had brewed up front. As per usual, Granger's hand instantly flew in the air. Leila and Daphne looked to each other and rolled their eyes as Slughorn called on Granger. As Granger began to drone on about Amortentia, Leila's eye caught Harry and Ron fighting for the last new copy of the textbook. The boys tried to pull it away from each other, but Ron managed to pull it hard and about Harry's head, which caused Leila to need to stifle a giggle. Leila didn't miss Harry whack Ron with the old and tattered book he pulled from the cupboard.

Professor Slughorn lifted the lid of the cauldron and the class inhaled the scent of the potion. The scent of the potion was different to each person, and the scents reminded each person what they found attractive. Leila sniffed. She smelled crisp green apples, which caused her brow to slightly furrow. She sniffed again. She smelled the fresh scent of falling snow...the smell of dress robes. Leila turned her head for a moment as she sniffed and noticed that Malfoy seemed to be staring at her, which made a blush creep up her cheeks.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 4th year~*~**_

 _Leila walked upstairs from the Slytherin dungeon in her dark blue dress robes with her hair softly curled and in a waterfall braid with her dark curls cascading down her back. She hadn't really wanted to attend the Yule Ball, but as a Hogwarts Triwizard Champion, she was expected to attend. Nervously, she tugged at the silver snowflake necklace she had been given as a gift earlier that morning. As she reached the Great Hall, she spotted the other champions standing there with their dates. Her heart sunk at the sight of Cedric standing beside Cho Chang. Cedric was whom she had wanted to attend with; but he brushed the idea aside-two champions attending together._

 _She approached Harry and Pavarti Patil as Professor McGonagall excused Ron and Pavarti's twin sister Padma into the Great Hall for the processional. Leila tried to quickly follow them inside, but Professor McGonagall caught her and grabbed hold of her shoulder. Leila's face looked like she was in immense pain; but she was just in pain over being caught. Slowly, Leila turned around to face her Transfiguration professor with an innocent smile on her face._

" _Miss Potter, might I ask where your date is?" Professor McGonagall asked rather sternly. Leila simply shrugged her shoulders hoping her innocent smile would win the older woman over. But Professor McGonagall's eyes only widened in exasperation, "Miss Potter, you must have a date! It's tradition for the champions and their dates to have the first dance before dining at the front table with the judges."_

" _Well, I don't think I'm going to find a date before then," Leila retorted. "Besides, I don't need one. I'm perfectly content by myself, thank you very much."_

" _You should have just agreed to go with Ron. He did ask you, after all," Harry whispered in her ear. Leila swatted at her brother's face and he took a few steps back before she pushed his shoulder._

" _Only because Granger turned him down." By this point Leila's arms were folded across her chest._

" _That's not entirely true."_

" _Oh? Then please enlighten me why he asked her first?"_

" _Because he doesn't fancy her."_

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _But Harry never responded to her because Professor McGonagall stated that a partner was required for the first dance before she began to walk the corridor's looking for a last minute escort for Leila. The Potter girl followed after her professor, trying to convince the woman that an escort wasn't necessary; but just as she reached McGonagall, Draco Malfoy rounded the corner headed toward the Great Hall with Pansy Parkinson on his arm._

 _Leila immediately winced and hoped that McGonagall would overlook him, given their history; but those hopes and dreams were crushed when McGonagall called him over "Ah, Mr Malfoy, you'll make do-come here for a moment." Leila's heart sunk as she watched from a small distance, as Draco walked toward Professor McGonagall. "Mr Malfoy, Miss Potter is in need of a partner for the traditional champion's first dance and the dinner afterward."_

 _Draco smirked at her, but Leila just scowled back at him with her arms crossed. Pansy's grip on Draco's arm tightened as the girl understood that McGonagall was asking Draco to be Leila's date for the beginning of the evening. Draco, who looked rather pleased, stayed silent on the matter; but Pansy began to argue. "But Professor…"_

" _I can understand your qualms, Miss Parkinson; but I will not have Hogwarts good name and reputation ruined in a single night because of a silly girl's lack in judgment," Professor McGonagall stated sternly._

" _You're daft if you think I'm going to dance with him," Leila retorted. "Can't I just skip the grand entrance?"_

" _No, this is a task of a champion, one you agreed to complete."_

" _I was forced into being a champion-I didn't agree to anything, especially not this."_

" _Miss Potter, you will allow Mr Malfoy to escort you and the two of you will act civilly toward one another-end of discussion."_

 _With that, Professor McGonagall ushered a shocked Pansy into the Great Hall as Draco took a few steps to stand beside Leila. Leila purposely turned her head the other way so that she couldn't see him; but he leaned in and whispered in the ear that faced him, "You couldn't think of any other way but to get ol' McGonagall to ask me for you?"_

" _You wish, you disgusting prat," Leila hissed turning to face him, seeing that he was looking rather chuffed over the turn of events. She quickly stomped on his foot before she marched back over to the other champions._

 _Leila refused to meet Harry's gaze when he watched Draco follow her back to where Professor McGonagall was lining up the champions. Even Granger, who was holding onto Viktor Krum's arm, couldn't tear her eyes from Draco and Leila. For a moment, Leila met Cedric's eye and she thought she saw a pang of jealousy on his face, which made Leila blush. Which of course, Draco interpreted the blush incorrectly and smirked before Professor McGonagall placed the two of them at the end of the procession. Leila kept trying to keep some distance between the two of them, but Draco kept closing the gap. She was about to yell at him when the Great Hall doors swung open and the procession began._

 _Draco grabbed Leila's hand and placed it on his arm; but he never removed his fingers from his grip on her hand. Not wanting to get in trouble with Professor McGonagall, Leila pretended to smile as she walked in on Draco's arm. At first, the crowd seemed in shock at the sight of Hermione Granger on Viktor Krum's arm-but that quickly dissipated, when they saw Leila on Draco's arm. Leila tried to ignore the whispers and stares as cameras flashed and cheering filled the room._

 _They eventually reached the middle of the dance floor and Draco turned so that Leila faced him. Never releasing her right hand, he rested his left hand on her waist, which she hadn't been expecting. She almost started to giggle because she ticklish; but she quit squirming when she made eye contact with Professor McGonagall. Leila then sighed and rested her left hand on Draco's shoulder and looked at Cedric, who quickly looked away from her. It was obvious he had been watching her. Draco whispered her name and she looked up at him once more. He was smiling-actually smiling-the scene made Leila immediately want to run away screaming._

 _Instead, she attempted to compose herself. "You're clearly enjoying yourself," Leila commented._

" _Of course," Draco drawled. "But you really didn't have to go to all the trouble of turning me down everytime I asked you, seeing as we ended up here together anyway."_

" _I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter."_

" _Maybe not-but someday you will and you'll choose me."_

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila tugged at her collar as she tried to identify a fourth smell, which she could have sworn she had smelled not too long ago; but Professor Slughorn shut the lid to the potion before Leila could recognize it. In the corner of her eye, Leila saw Malfoy looking at her again before he scowled and dropped his gaze to the ground, which caused her to blush before she straightened her shoulders and tried to pay Slughorn more attention.

The new Potions professor described a few more concoctions before he ushered them back to their tables. Leila slowly walked back to the table she shared with Granger. Thankfully, Ron and Harry joined their table and Leila wasn't stuck alone with Granger. Although, Leila couldn't help but wonder if being in a group with them would somehow lead to more trouble; but that was probably inevitable.

Professor Slughorn introduced the class to the Draught of Living Death. He was even offering a prize for the best draught: a small vial of Felix Felicis, one of the concoctions they had looked at earlier. Felix Felicis, was known as _Liquid Luck_ and made the drinker lucky for a time period. To be honest, Leila didn't care about the prize. She just wanted to come out on top of Granger. Leila knew that she was more than capable of beating Granger and she hoped that this would be her year.

Leila quickly pulled her Potions textbook out of her book bag and flipped to the draught's directions, as did the other students. She then moved to the cupboard to gather the necessary supplies: infusion of Wormwood, root of asphodel, sloth brain, and Sopophorous beans. Leila turned to walk away from the cupboard when she almost ran into Malfoy again. Not wanting to relive her earlier embarrassment, Leila held her breath and walked away from him without making eye contact.

When Leila got back to the table, Granger was already getting started with her water and African sea salt. Not wanting to be outdone, Leila quickly got started on her potion. To be honest, the potion was harder than Leila had expected it to be, but when she looked over at Granger, the know-it-all was clearly struggling, so Leila tried to keep her face void of all emotions to get to Granger. Granger was so disgruntled that she looked over at Harry's cauldron and was shocked to see that his seemed to be turning out. "How'd you do that?" Granger questions, which piqued Leila's curiosity, so the Potter girl looked over at her twin. Harry's potion was actually looking quite good-she hated to admit it, but better than hers.

"Crush it, don't cut it," Harry responded knowingly.

"No, the instructions specifically say to cut."

Leila rolled her eyes at Granger before she walked over to her brother and snatched his textbook. His instructions had handwritten instructions scribbled in the margins and all over the page. Leila squinted at the handwriting for a moment-something about it almost seemed familiar. So, Leila turned to the front cover to see the former owner of the book. The front page read: _This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince_. Leila turned the book around so that Harry could see the inscription, but he shook his head and quickly snatched the book back.

"Where'd this come from?" Leila pondered.

"The cupboard," Harry responded as if the answer were obvious.

"I know that much, you dolt. I watched you grab it. I mean where'd it come from? Who used to own it? "

"Dunno."

Leila looked to Granger, who appeared rather disapproving; but Leila wanted to win. So, she moved her cauldron closer to her brother's to share his textbook. She crushed the Sopophorous beans, as Harry's book stated and then dropped them into the cauldron. Whoever this Half-Blood Prince was, he knew his potions. When Ron wasn't looking, Leila reached across the table and snatched one of his beans to put a thirteenth bean into her cauldron, despite the original directions saying it only required twelve.

Looking over her shoulder back at the Slytherin table, Leila watched as Malfoy attempted to lure Professor Slughorn in. He tried to impress the man with his connections; but Slughorn simply overlooked him and moved toward her. Leila couldn't help but smirk at Malfoy as Slughorn complimented her on how well her potion was turning out so far as Malfoy glared at her across the room. When Professor Slughorn walked away, Granger spoke rather loudly, almost as if she were trying to get them in trouble. "You two are going to get in trouble."

"It seems to be working, Granger; what's the problem with that?" Leila groaned. "Are you really that much of a sore loser?"

"It has nothing to do with losing," Granger said rather stiffly. "What if that happens to be another one of You-Know-Who's textbooks?"

"It's not," Harry added. "I checked it over and didn't find Tom Riddle anywhere."

"Besides, Riddle hated his half-blood status…" Leila started when Harry elbowed her in the ribs. She gasped and looked over at him. Apparently, he didn't want _that_ information known yet. "Never mind," Leila groaned as she attempted to elbow her brother back.

Granger rolled her eyes at the Potter twins as she continued to struggle to finish her potion. Harry and Leila, now thanks to Harry's textbook, both seemed to be excelling with their potions. Leila added her final piece of Valerian root and her potion turned a pale pink color as Slughorn walked around for his final inspection of the draughts. Leila scooted her cauldron away from Harry's as Slughorn looked at Harry's potion. "Harry m'boy, I think you've done it! One drop would surely kill us all." Slughorn beamed proudly. "Class, I think we have a winner."

Leila watched as Granger huffed and rolled her eyes. While Leila would admit that she was a bit disappointed that she had lost to Harry, she was also quite fine with it because she knew that she had beaten Granger and that was all that really mattered. Slughorn was about to bring Harry to the front of the class to accept his prize when he suddenly stopped at Leila's cauldron. He looked at it curiously before he pulled a leaf out of his pocket and dropped it into her concoction. The leaf shriveled up and a grin spread over the old man's face.

"Leila, you too must have been blessed with our mother's Potions ability! Now I've already promised the Felix Felicis to your brother, but why don't you see me after class."

Granger immediately made eye contact with Leila who smirked in her direction. The Gryffindor know-it-all, scowled as Slughorn presented Harry the Felix Felicis in front of the class. Leila's gaze moved from her brother to Malfoy who definitely didn't look pleased. Her gaze lingered on him for some reason unknown to her, as Slughorn continued to brag about Harry. A blush began to creep up Leila's cheeks when Malfoy noticed that she was watching him. Her hands flew to her face to stop the blushing-she even began to fan her flaming face. She wasn't sure why she reacted so strongly to Malfoy looking at her; but she didn't really want to think about it; so she busied herself with packing up her things.

"You should tell Professor Slughorn that you cheated," Granger hissed.

"I didn't cheat. I followed the directions...they just weren't the directions the rest of you were following," Leila retorted.

"My point exactly. You could have seriously hurt someone."

"But I didn't. Besides, I don't think it could have been any worse than some of the concoctions Finnigan or Longbottom have brewed. And this isn't about safety-this is about the fact that you lost and you can't handle that."

"It is not."

"Hermione, let it go," Ron groaned.

"You're taking her side?"

"I tell her the same thing when you beat her, isn't that right, Leila?" Leila raised an eyebrow at Ron before she swung her book bag over her shoulder. Ron repeated himself and Leila simply shrugged her shoulders and smirked. Ron knew that Leila was trying to get him in trouble with Hermione, so he groaned, "Well, it is and Harry's coming, so let's go."

"I have to meet with Slughorn," Leila said.

"Tell him," Granger said sternly. Ron groaned before he took Granger's book bag so that she would follow him out of the room.

Harry walked by her with his vial of Felix Felicis as she walked toward the front of the classroom to meet Slughorn. Leila tugged at her braid as Slughorn began cleaning up the potions mess. "I hope I'm not keeping you from any classes, Leila," Professor Slughorn said.

"No, sir. This was my last class for the day," Leila responded as she shifted the weight of her book bag from one shoulder to another.

Slughorn then stopped what he was doing to look at her. "I do feel just awful about not rewarding you today for your potion. Had I seen it first...well, it really did look splendid."

"It's fine sir. I'm sure there will be another time."

"Yes-right you are, Leila; but I ask that you accompany me to my office for a moment. I have something I wish to give you. I meant to give it to you yesterday on the train, but you left so early for your prefect duties."

Leila wasn't sure what he could possibly want to give her, but she agreed to follow him. As she was about to walk into his office, Leila could have sworn she saw Malfoy's head in the doorway, but when she looked again, he wasn't there. Once inside his office, Slughorn offered Leila a chair to sit on as he dug through the piles of papers that had already accumulated from his short stay thus far. He muttered to himself as he searched and Leila looked around the office. It wasn't too surprising that the place already seemed much friendlier than when Snape had held occupancy of the room.

"Ah-ha! Here we are!" Slughorn announced as he turned toward Leila with something in his hand. He handed it to her and she immediately recognized it to be an old photograph of her mother, Lily, during _her_ Hogwarts days. Leila was somewhat taken aback. "I figured I could part with this for your sake. You didn't really got a chance to know her; yet you remind me so much of her. She was a bright and talented witch and I expect the same from you, Leila."

"Thank you, sir," Leila whispered.

Professor Slughorn nodded in response. For a moment, Leila forgot about all the problems this year had brought so far and simply started at the picture of the one person she wished she had a better chance to know. She really did look a lot like her mother-although her hair and smile were her father's. Lily must have been her age in the photograph. The girl in the photograph was all smiles, something Leila found hard to do at times.

Leila wondered if her mother would be proud of her-proud of the person she was becoming. There was something about a mother's love that Leila longed for; but she knew she would never receive it from her own mother. Mrs Weasley was like an adopted mother to her; but she still couldn't help but want her own mother's love. Leila wiped at her eyes which threatened to spill a few tears before she walked back to the Slytherin dungeon wishing she had the chance to know her parents.

* * *

 **Author's note:** **This chapter took longer than I had planned; but I had a friend die, so there were some days I didn't really feel like writing. I know grief is a fickle thing, but today I felt like writing...maybe tomorrow I won't. So, please bear with me-I will try to get them out as soon as I can.**

* * *

 _Thanks for all the reviews and for those of you who wished me a happy birthday yesterday! Feel free to check out Leila's tumblr (leilapotter) there are a whole bunch of birthday presents people made me there and I think you'd love 'em!_


	10. And Then I Kissed Him

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 10: And Then I Kissed Him**

The first week of sixth year seemed to move by intolerably slow. Leila was already disgruntled with the massive amount of homework she had accumulated. She knew that N.E.W.T. classes were designed to be painstakingly intense and could understand why many students opted to drop multiple classes. But Leila refused to give into the pressure. She was determined to keep up with Granger...even if that meant she had to study more. In the little free time that remained, Leila saw very little of Draco Malfoy. Even during class he often managed to evade her and Leila found life at Hogwarts, without Malfoy as her unwanted and constant companion, quite odd. Dare she say, she almost missed him? But the thought seemed preposterous.

Leila knew exactly why Malfoy was avoiding her and she understood where he was coming from; but somehow it didn't make any sense. He resumed his former activities of taunting Harry, Ron, and Granger; but he barely batted an eye at her anymore. The rare occasions she caught him looking at her, he would quickly turn away in a scowl. But thing that bothered her the most was that she didn't understand why she cared so much. Why did she care what he was up to? For years she had dreamed of the day when he would leave her alone and yet, here she was in this predicament.

As if school and Malfoy weren't enough to distract her, Urquhart insisted on preparing every evening for the Slytherin Quidditch trials. He hoped to gain an advantage by holding trials earlier than Gryffindor. Leila knew Harry was holding Gryffindor's trials on the 14th because she had been whining to him about Slytherin's trials during Potions on Wednesday afternoon. Leila loved playing Quidditch, but at times it became especially difficult to play against Gryffindor, Slytherins most bitter rival. Thankfully, Leila was an excellent Chaser, like her father. Although, she didn't find that out exactly like she had expected to.

 **~*~** _ **Flashback to 1st year ~*~**_

 _What do you know about Dad playing Quidditch?" Leila asked her twin brother._

 _"He played?" Harry questioned._

 _"I was hoping you would know."_

 _Harry shrugged his shoulders as they entered the castle. Leila wasn't sure whether she believed Harry or not. He had to know, right? But if he did, why wouldn't he tell her? Leila sighed as they parted ways. She headed downstairs and Harry headed upstairs. Harry hugged his sister before she headed down to the dungeons._

 _Leila knew that she was probably going to regret what she was about to do; but she really didn't have any other choice. She needed to know. Leila said the password to the Slytherin dungeon and walked down the stairs and into the common room. Her eyes scanned the common room before she mentally kicked herself for what she was about to do as she walked across the room. She stopped beside the table where Theo was playing a game of Wizard's chess with Draco Malfoy. He looked at her before looking back to the game. Leila cleared her throat; but he didn't look at her. Theo looked to her; but she shook her head at him._

 _"What do you want?" Draco drawled._

 _"I need to talk to you," Leila said._

 _"About what?"_

 _"You know what, Malfoy."_

 _"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Leila rolled her eyes as Draco smirked at her with his stupid smirk._

 _"You do so know what I'm talking about."_

 _"Refresh my memory." By this point, Leila knew he was messing with her; but she didn't really have a choice but to give in to him._

 _"You—you said that when I wanted to talk about it, to talk to you about it."_

 _"I'm still not recalling."_

 _"You prat; I know you know," Leila groaned. "You know what? This was a mistake."_

 _Leila balled her fists and shook her head before turning around to walk away. She was only a few steps away when Draco called to her._

 _"Leila, just let me flatten Nott and I'm yours."_

 _Leila rolled her eyes at how he phrased his word before she sighed and sat down on the sofa, while she started to regret what she was doing. But Draco only took another five minutes, which wasn't enough time to talk herself out of what she was doing. He tapped her on the shoulder with a smirk on his face. She was definitely going to regret this._

 _"Follow me," Draco said._

 _"Where?" Leila asked._

 _"You'll see. I'm going with or without you." Draco walked away from Leila and headed up the stairs. With a look of reluctance, Leila chased after him. The look on Malfoy's face almost sickened her when he noticed her following behind him. "Told you, you'd come to me."_

 _"Don't read too much into it," Leila said. "I need information. Information which you apparently have. And if you don't, I swear I'll get Fred or George Weasley to teach me some sort of hex to use on you."_

 _"That wasn't part of the deal."_

 _"Looks like you're not the only one who knows how to get what they want."_

 _Malfoy's expression looked more impressed than it did offended; which Leila wasn't sure she liked. But much to her surprise, Malfoy actually remained rather silent as they walked down the corridors. Leila wasn't exactly sure where they were, but Draco led her into a room. He pulled out his wand and suddenly some sort of light shot out of it illuminating the room they were in. There seemed to be countless numbers of trophies and awards in cases._

 _"Are we allowed in here?" Leila whispered._

 _"Please," Draco scoffed. "My father's a school governor. Not to mention that he's friends with Snape." Leila rolled her eyes at his comment as she slowly followed him around the room. She hadn't a clue what they were looking for, but Malfoy seemed fairly confident. "Ah, here it is," Draco said. He pointed to a case. Leila briefly looked at it and then shrugged. "Your father was a Chaser for Gryffindor."_

 _"How did you know that?"_

 _"I have my ways," Draco said with his chest puffed out. "You can look there if you'd like and see for yourself."_

 _Leila looked in the case to a plaque with the name James Potter on it. "How did you know to come here?"_

 _"Just did," Draco said with a shrug._

 _"When did he play?"_

 _"You have eyes, don't you? Look for yourself."Leila's eyes searched the case for a few moments; when Draco groaned before he elbowed Leila. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're looking in the wrong spot."_

 _"Excuse me for not having the bloody plaques memorized."_

 _"James Potter is listed on these six," Draco said pointing. "So he probably started playing for bloody Gryffindor his second year."_

 _"I find it slightly scary that you know so much about my family."_

 _Draco didn't respond. Leila looked to him, but he stood there with almost no emotion on his face. She shook her head before looking once more to the trophy case when a blood curdling scream escaped her lips. This caused Malfoy to jump as Leila backed away from the case with her hands over her face. Malfoy looked to the case to see a small spider crawling on it. He looked to Leila and then to the spider before a smirk played over his lips."Scared of a little spider?" Draco chuckled._

 _"Just kill the bloody thing! Kill it!" Leila squealed._

 _Draco, not really wanting to touch the thing, pointed his wand at the spider and swished and flicked. Suddenly, the spider was hovering mid-air. He looked to Leila before manoeuvring the spider closer to her; but Leila wasn't watching because she still had her eyes covered. "He's off the glass," Draco said with a smirk._

 _Leila muttered her thanks before slowly peeling her hands from her face. She looked straight at the glass to see that Draco was telling the truth…sort of. Because the spider was dangling above her head. Draco pointed for her to look up, so she did and screamed before running away toward another cabinet. Draco made the spider follow after her._

 _"Malfoy, this isn't funny," Leila shouted. "Get it away from me! Malfoy!"_

 _But Draco didn't listen to her. He continued to have the spider chase her around the trophy room as she ran screaming around the room. Leila barely escaped Malfoy and the spider as she slammed wooden door shut behind her. It was at that moment, she remembered her wand in her robe pocket. She pulled it out and pointed her wand at the door handle. She supposed this would be the perfect time to see if her extra studying with Cedric was paying off. "Colloportus!" Leila whispered._

 _Nothing happened at first and she could hear Malfoy's steps drawing nearer. She repeated the word three more times before she heard a faint clicking sound of the door locking which caused her to grin. The sound of the door handle jiggling but not coming open caused her to giggle quietly. Malfoy tried once more to jiggle the door handle, quite unsuccessfully._

 _"Let me out," Draco demanded through the door._

 _"You have a wand, don't you? Try it for yourself," Leila said, mocking what he had said earlier._

 _"Open it, now."_

 _"I'd give Standard Book of Spells, Chapter Seven a try if I were you."_

 _"I don't need a damn Charms lesson when I already know how to do the bloody spell," Draco hissed._

 _"Go ahead then. Let's see," Leila retorted._

 _For about a minute, Leila heard muttering coming from the other side of the door. Malfoy must have been unsuccessful at his attempts which brought a smile to Leila's face; but suddenly, she heard another faint clicking sound which caused her eyes to widen. Without even waiting for Malfoy to show his face, Leila took off in a sprint down the corridor headed for the one place she knew she was safe from Malfoy: the girls' dormitories._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

When Friday evening finally rolled around, Leila headed down to the Quidditch pitch after dinner with her Firebolt in hand. She had purposely left her Nimbus 2001 in the Weasleys' broomshed to rot over the school year. It wasn't a terrible broom, it was the method in which she had received it that she didn't like. Theo walked beside her as they walked down the already beaten path. "Nervous?" Leila asked him.

"I've been trying for years to get on the team," Theo acknowledged. "Only have one more year if I don't make it this year. But you don't have to worry. Your spot is practically guaranteed."

"Lucky for them I'm actually a fair Chaser."

"You're better than fair, Leila. You're the best Chaser Slytherin has...which is why I think Snape should have made _you_ Captain, not Urquhart."

"I wasn't always so good. Do you remember me second year? I was bloody terrible," Leila laughed. "I'm pretty sure Flint only put me on the team because I was Harry's sister and he thought I would sabotage my own brother."

"I would have to agree with you there, you were dead awful at Quidditch."

"Uh! You're not supposed to agree with me." Leila playfully pushed Theo who joined in her laughter. "You're supposed to tell me that it was all in my head."

"You couldn't even hold onto the Quaffle."

"You're over exaggerating, you git." Leila pushed Theo again as he laughed at her. To be honest, she would have to agree with him. During any matches they had second year, she was dreadful; but thankfully, third year she finally redeemed herself and showed that she could actually play Quidditch...even during a match.

As Theo and Leila reached the Quidditch pitch, Urquhart was already dividing the Slytherins into lines for each position they would be trying out for. There were always trials for every position, just in case someone better than a player from last year; but more often than not, they only filled their empty roster spots. If Urquhart knew what was best for the team, he wouldn't replace those who played last year. While Leila might not always like how her teammates treated her brother during a match, she had to admit that they were pretty damn good at their positions. Miles Bletchley played Keeper. Crabbe and Goyle might have been numbskulls, but they were vicious Beaters. Malfoy was probably the second best Seeker at Hogwarts while Leila and Urquhart were the Chasers for the Slytherin squad.

The returning players were slow to move into the lines while Urquhart belted out orders for the new recruits. Leila scanned the pitch finding three boys trying out for Beater, five for Seeker, seven for Keeper, and at least twenty for Chaser. Leila slowly moved to the end of the Chaser line and fixed her ponytail when she got to the end. Unfortunately, Urquhart called her up first, "Potter, you're up."

After an eyeroll, Leila grudgingly walked to the front of the line and made eye contact with Urquhart. "Why me?" Leila whined. "You already know I can play."

"Exactly why you're going first," Urquhart hissed. With an overly dramatic sigh, Leila mounted her broom and kicked off into the air. She hovered midair for a moment before Urquhart tossed her the Quaffle and announced, "You each get five attempts to get the Quaffle through one of the hoops."

Urquhart then gave her a nod and Leila ascended higher on her broom until she was almost level with Bletchley. She slightly narrowed her eyes at Slytherin's Keeper before she started tossing the Quaffle to herself. "Are you going to go or not?" Bletchley hissed.

"What was that?" Leila questioned calmly as she continued to toss the Quaffle.

"I said: are you…" Bletchley was too focused on spitting his words out that Leila chucked the Quaffle to the right and it soared right through the hoop. He missed it by what seemed like a mile. He caught it _after_ it went through the hoop before throwing it back to Leila. "Damn you, Potter."

"I don't recall you complaining when I did something similar to Ron last year."

"I don't need you making a fool of me."

"I completely agree. I think you're doing a bang-up job of it on your own."

Bletchley looked unamused which made Leila smirk. She knew that he wasn't actually mad at her. Annoyed? Sure. But there always seemed to be a certain banter between the Slytherin teammates that one might not be able to distinguish between acceptance or hatred. Bletchley resituated himself on his broom and motioned to Leila with his hand. "Just go, Potter."

Leila smirked before she flew around and tossed the Quaffle toward the hoops. Bletchley missed each of her four next throws; but she couldn't help but wonder if it had been on purpose. Her fifth throw he had went to the right when the Quaffle had gone to the left. Leila bit her bottom lip and looked down to the ground before she flew closer to Bletchley. "Granger, could keep better than _that_."

"Sod off, Potter," Bletchley scoffed; but Leila stayed there for a moment watching him closely. He groaned and motioned for her to come closer, so Leila flew closer and Bletchley spoke in a low voice, "Just ensuring your place on the team. Do you have a problem with that?"

Leila thought about it a moment. "None whatsoever. I just wanted you to admit it. Otherwise, I might worry that Slytherin's Keeper has gotten rusty."

"You let me worry about that, Potter."

Leila nodded her head before she slowly descended back down to the grass. Her feet had almost touched the ground when Theo kicked off for his trial. He flashed Leila a nervous smile, which she returned with a more reassuring one. With her eyes still on the sky, Leila took a few steps forward and walked straight into a hard body. Her head snapped forward to see that she had run into Malfoy. She watched as a scowl spread over his face and the grip on his broom tightened. "Move, Potter."

For a brief moment, she thought of apologizing to him because she hadn't purposely meant to run into him. But she took in a deep breath and immediately froze in place, looking at him quizzically. The scent she had inhaled off him was familiar...too familiar. Quickly, she tried to process where she had smelled that scent before when Malfoy purposely shouldered her and walked away. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder as he walked away...not wanting to admit to herself why that scent shook her to her very core.

Leila sat down on the grass a few yards away from those trying out for Chaser and tried to process what had just happened. But she refused to accept _that_. She looked at him talking with Blaise and her cheeks began to blush, so she began to fan at them. "What's got you all hot and bothered?" Theo asked as he approached her before he sat down beside her.

"Nothing," Leila snapped before closing her eyes tightly, realizing that she didn't really mean to yell at her friend. "Sorry-I'm just rather distracted, that's all."

"I don't want to know, do I?" The Potter girl bit her bottom lip for a moment as she looked to her friend. No, he definitely would not want to know; especially if he still harbored any feelings toward her. So, Leila shook her head no. "It's about your brother, isn't it?"

"Yeah-totally, absolutely, definitely...Harry." Leila's lying words didn't come out as smoothly as she hoped, but Theo didn't seem to question them. He just nodded his head and looked back toward the line of Chasers. Leila surveyed the competition, but she couldn't help but snort when she noticed Millicent Bulstrode standing in line to try out for Chaser. Leila elbowed Theo and pointed at Bulstrode, "Looks like you have some competition this year."

"Urquhart would be mental to put her on the team," Theo said shaking his head. "She's terrible...and not just because you don't like her."

"Hey, you know I always celebrate the yearly anniversary of Bulstrode's Blunder. I was thinking a reenactment this year." Theo shook his head at Leila's statement. While she was mostly being sarcastic, Bulstrode's Blunder was infamous in Hogwarts flying lessons. Their first year, Bulstrode had fallen off her broom and showed her knickers to the entire first year class….although, her knickers weren't really covering much of her backside. Things became quiet for a few moments as they watched the next Chaser take to the air.

"Who would you pick if you were Captain?" Theo asked.

"Dunno. Haven't thought about it, really. Really isn't a point, you know?"

"I know-but _if_ you were."

Leila laughed and shook her head, "You're just looking for me to say that I'd pick you."

"Would you?"

"Sure, if you can keep up with me." Leila flipped her ponytail before pressing a finger to her lips. "Now, sh! Bulstode's up, I want to watch this." Leila turned her head to watch Bulstrode, but in the corner of her eye she caught Malfoy still engrossed in his conversation with Zabini. Although, for a moment he turned at looked at her, which caused her to awkwardly rub at her neck and force her attention back to Bulstrode attempting to kick off into the air.

Bulstrode could barely manage to stay on her broom, let alone hold on to the Quaffle. Leila couldn't help but snicker when Bulstrode dropped the Quaffle and it hit a second year. Urquhart groaned before he tossed the Quaffle back up to her. Leila was fairly certain the only reason Urquhart wasn't tearing Bulstrode a new one was because their mothers were friends. Bulstrode somehow managed to throw the Quaffle twice before Urquhart called, "I think I've seen enough, Bulstrode."

"But I haven't finished yet," Millicent argued.

"Aw, c'mon, Urquhart, she hasn't given us the grand finale yet," Leila called, making the sixth and seventh years on the field and in the stands snicker. Younger students who had been told the story also laughed. Leila looked to Malfoy to see a smile on his face which he quickly covered up with a fake cough. And for a moment, she thought that he looked rather handsome when he smiled...not smirked...but smiled. But Leila quickly reprimanded herself for such a thought and looked to Urquhart who was also trying to hide his amusement. What Leila hadn't been expecting was Bulstrode to practically drop to the ground directly in front of her. "Graceful," Leila commented.

Bulstrode pushed herself back into a standing position and stomped closer toward Leila with an angry expression on her face as Urquhart had the next Chaser take to the skies. "You'd best watch yourself, Potter," Bulstrode hissed before she blew a stray tendril of hair out of her face.

"But it's far more entertaining to watch you." The moment the words came from Leila's mouth, she knew she never should have expressed them. "Dammit," she swore as Bulstrode pulled her wand from her robes. Leila scrambled to get to her feet; but when she was finally to her feet, Theo had fled from her side. Knowing that her wand wasn't on her, Leila still pretended to fumble to look for it on her person. Being unarmed, the only thing Leila had to work with was her wit, "Be reasonable, Bulstrode."

"The reasonable thing would be to finally deal with you. You've been a thorn in my side since first year, Potter."

"If I recall correctly, it was second year when things took a turn for the worse and if you had chosen friends a little more wisely, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"And be friends with a half-blood like you?"

"Better than the scum you currently associate yourself with." Leila had meant to whisper those words, but they came out loud enough for Bulstrode to hear. Bulstrode's face contorted in rage as she tightened the grip on her wand and began to speak. The Potter girl closed her eyes and put her hands up over her face as a shield and waited for a hex to come; but one never did. Leila looked through the gaps between her fingers to see that Bulstrode stood still with a glazed look in her eyes as she slowly lowered her wand. Bulstrode then shook her head and looked at Leila.

"What did you do to me, Potter?"

"I didn't do anything. _You_ were going to hex _me_!" Bulstrode acknowledged Leila's words and began to raise her wand again as Leila mounted her broom and muttered. "I had to open my big mouth."

Just as Leila kicked off into the air, Millicent crumpled onto the grass. Bulstrode lay doubled over in pain shrieking like a banshee. Leila hovered on her broom as the Slytherins on the pitch began to whisper and stare at her. Urquhart jogged over the scene, missing the goal that Bletchley just missed. "Potter, what did you do now?"

"What? Why do you assume that it was me?" Urquhart gave her a knowing look. He knew how often she got into trouble; but he didn't seem angry at her. Leila rolled her eyes. "I don't even have my bloody wand."

Leila dismounted her broom and scanned her fellow Slytherins; but her attention was quickly diverted to Malfoy. He was the only one not watching the scene as he inconspicuously tried to stow his wand back in his robes. It took a few moments, but he noticed that she was watching him and he responded by sneering at her and walking toward Zabini. Not sure what to believe, Leila looked through the crowd of Slytherins and not a single one of them made a motion to stow their wand.

Biting her bottom lip in frustration, she looked at Malfoy once again. Was it possible that _he_ had hexed Bulstrode? But why would he do such a thing? Especially for her? None of it made any sense. Awkwardly resting her broom between her body and her elbow, Leila rubbed at her face as Bulstrode still wailed on the ground, despite the fact that she was no longer being hexed. Urquhart shouted for Pansy and Tracey to come down from the stands and bring Millicent to the hospital wing. Leila looked up and watched as the Bulstrode's two friends left Daphne alone in the stands and ran down to the pitch. As was to be expected, Parkinson purposely ran into Leila on her way over to Millicent. Leila just rolled her eyes and ignored their snarky remarks directed toward her.

Once Bulstrode was off the pitch, Urquhart resumed trials and Leila sat down on the grass to watch him finish up with the Chasers. Theo sat down beside her once again, but Leila ignored him and stayed focus straight ahead. Theo leaned closer toward her, "You're not mad, are you?" Leila rolled her shoulders back and cracked her neck, but didn't utter a single word. "C'mon, Leila. You know it was nothing personal. I just knew Bulstrode was no match for you and that I wasn't needed."

In the corner of her eye, Leila found Malfoy watching her and Theo; but he looked almost amused by the fact that she was giving Theo the cold shoulder. But he quickly turned away before Leila could read much into it. She didn't have time to think about it either because Urquhart called her, Theo, and Blaise to mount their brooms to test the Keeper hopefuls.

The three sixth years took to the air, passing the Quaffle around as the sped toward the hoops where Bletchley was still tending the goals. Theo held tightly onto the Quaffle until he was yards away from the scoring range when he did a reverse pass over his shoulder to Leila. The Quaffle was barely in her hands when Leila took a shot at the hoops and it soared through the left goal post. Leila motioned her fingers between her eyes and Bletchley with a grin on her face as Bletchley rolled his eyes before tossing the Quaffle back to them. That was the only goal they managed to score on Bletchley; but Theo and Blaise took the other four shots. To be honest, Theo, Leila, and Blaise worked well together as Chasers; but the three of them would have to wait until Urquhart graduated or took himself out of rotation to actually play together.

After the other Keeper hopefuls were tested, it was obvious that Bletchley was still Slytherin's best choice; but then again, Urquhart could choose whomever he liked. Urquhart excused everyone except those trying out for Beater or Seeker, so Leila walked to the changing rooms and quickly changed into her jeans and a comfy flannel shirt that was a little too big for her. Hastily, she threw her Quidditch robes into her shoulder bag; but she didn't notice her wand fall out of her bag and roll under the bench.

Curious to watch the rest of the trials, Leila joined Daphne in the stands. Daphne fidgeted a bit as Leila sat beside her. Quidditch wasn't really Daphne's thing, but Leila knew why her blonde friend came to tryouts: Theo. Leila looked down on the field to find Theo talking with Malfoy which caused the Potter girl to roll her eyes. She didn't understand what her Housemates saw in Malfoy-he was a prat...well, most of the time. She had to dislike him on principle if nothing else. Leila bit her bottom lip as she watched Malfoy, who looked unusually tired as he leaned against his broom. He almost looked like he didn't care much about the tryouts, but it was obvious that he would make the team again. Despite how annoying he was, he was still a rather brilliant Seeker and the only one who could give Harry a run for his money.

"I do hope Theo makes it," Daphne commented to a distracted Leila. The blonde girl didn't miss where her friend's attention was directed, so she snapped her fingers in front of Leila's face causing the dark haired girl to jump. "I said I do hope Theo makes it this year."

"I think it's between him and Zabini," Leila sighed as she rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "One of them will make the team and the other will be put on the Reserves."

Leila pursed her lips as he was once again distracted by Malfoy on the pitch; only this time he kicked-off from the ground to race after the Snitch. Rather than watching the Snitch, Leila kept her eyes on the Seeker. He flew across the field until he was suddenly flying straight toward her. Leila's eyes widened as he drew closer, but her head flung upward when he caught the Snitch a few yards above her head. It had only taken him several minutes to catch the Snitch. Malfoy looked down to see Leila looking up at him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head in response before flying back down to Urquhart. Leila exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Daphne looked to her friend. She knew she needed to tread carefully with Leila as far as Draco was concerned. "Is something wrong?" Daphne asked, hoping to pry Leila's thoughts from her.

The Potter girl's brow furrowed before she looked at Daphne. "I think Malfoy hexed Bulstrode when she was coming after me."

"What makes you think that?"

"I-I saw him stow his wand; but it doesn't make sense. Why would he do it? It's completely boggling."

"Yeah, boggling." But from Daphne's tone, it was obvious that she didn't find it boggling one bit. "Speaking of Bulstrode, I suppose I should go check on her or Pansy will have my head."

"Why are you even friends with her?"

"Because this way I can prevent her from murdering you. You're welcome for that, by the way."

"She only wants to murder me because she thinks I tried to steal Malfoy away from her."

"Well, you did kiss him fourth year and _The Daily Prophet_ went wild about it."

"I did no such thing. _He_ kissed _me_!"

 _ **~*~Flashback to the 2nd Task of the Triwizard Tournament~*~**_

 _Leila nervously twisted her wand in her hands as she walked with Daphne down to the Black Lake for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. She tried to focus on the Bubble-Head Charm she had worked on with Cedric; while still terrified to death about the fact that the task had something to do with the lake...and she couldn't swim. The farthest she had ever gone into the lake was wading up to her knees, but she had made sure she was surrounded by people at the time. Leila could practically feel her heart rising and falling in her chest cavity as she slowly blew out a breath._

" _Have you seen Draco?" Daphne asked curiously as she looked around at the people headed down to the lake._

" _I'm more concerned about my impending doom than that prat," Leila retorted._

" _Not according to The Daily Prophet." Leila shot Daphne a look of disgust. Her friend was teasing her, but after the Yule Ball, which she had been forced to attend with Malfoy, everyone was abuzz about her so-called "relationship" with Malfoy. "Sorry."_

" _You'd better be." Things had gotten so out-of-hand that even Ron refused to talk with her because he was convinced that she was dating Malfoy. It wasn't until Harry told her that Ron fancied her that she understood why he was so angry; but he still hadn't been able to speak to her recently._

 _Leila and Daphne then boarded a boat with other Hogwarts students, headed for the middle of the lake where three giant platforms had been erected. For most of the ride, Leila covered her eyes. She only looked to see if they were any closer to the platforms, but her eyes always managed to look down into the dreary water._

 _When they finally made it to the platform, Leila immediately found her brother as Daphne was ushered upstairs with the other spectators. Leila practically clung to her brother's arm as he looked through the crowd. Apparently, he hadn't been able to find Ron or Hermione. Leila found it odd that people seemed to be missing, especially people who wouldn't normally miss something like this; but instead, Leila rubbed her face against Harry's arm nervously._

" _What are you going to do?" Leila whispered. Harry motioned with his head down toward his hand. Leila's eyes widened in astonishment. "Gillyweed? Where'd you get that?"_

" _Dobby brought me some this morning." She had considered sneaking into Snape's personal storeroom to get some, but she figured it wasn't worth the risk. Not to mention that Cedric was considered her fairly capable with the Bubble-Head Charm. But that didn't mean that she felt comfortable with it._

" _Dobby didn't bring me anything. But look at that there's enough for two." Leila snatched half of Harry's Gillyweed supply and clenched her fist tightly around it._

" _You're welcome," Harry muttered as he continued to look around._

 _Soon, the cannon had sounded and four of the five contestants jumped into the lake. The only one left sitting on the platform was Leila. She sat there with her legs dangling over the water staring out into her...her heart pounding. She was shaking so terribly. She might have to forfeit this task because she couldn't force herself into the water. She looked over her shoulder at Mad-Eye Moody who was grinning eerily at her, with his wand drawn at his side._

 _Next thing Leila knew, a spider was crawling toward her. She screamed as it followed her wherever she moved. The thing had her cornered. Her only option to get away from the blasted thing was to jump into the water. Putting her hand over her nose as a plug, she jumped into the water before quickly surfacing again. She found Moody standing near the edge pocketing his wand. "Go on, Potter, the rest aren't that much farther ahead of you." Leila shook her head no, which made Moody roll his good eye. "You think your parents would be proud to see you like this?"_

 _That tugged at Leila's heartstrings, although at the time, she couldn't see that he was just trying to manipulate her. Leila thought of her parents and knew that they would probably at least want her to try. So, she swallowed the Gillyweed that was still clenched in her fist. Looking over her shoulder back at Moody, he nodded his head before pretending not to look at her and pointing his finger in the direction she assumed led to wherever she was supposed to go. Slowly, she nodded her head before she scrunched her face and put it under the surface of the water._

 _To Leila's surprise, she could breathe underwater. While she still didn't like the task...knowing that she wasn't likely to drown gave her a little comfort. Having never swam before, Leila's hand and foot coordination was terrible; but she stayed as close to the surface as she possibly could in case something went wrong. "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming," Leila told herself over and over again. Not that what she was doing would technically qualify as swimming._

 _Leila wasn't sure how long she swam, but she eventually spotted her brother swimming below her. Harry swam up to meet her and told her that he thought he found something, but that they would have to go deeper. Leila closed her eyes unsure of if she wanted to press forward, especially not knowing how much longer her Gillyweed was going to last her. But Harry took her hand in his and they swam down into the dark waters._

 _Holding tightly onto Harry's hand as they moved through the water, they stumbled upon their task. Under the water they found Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Cho Chang, Gabrielle Delacour, and Draco Malfoy who are all tied by their ankles. Leila looked curiously at the group in front of them. "I guess we're supposed to save them?" Leila told her brother._

" _One for each of us," Harry responded before raising an eyebrow at his sister. "Is there a reason you have to save Malfoy?"_

" _Why do I have to save him?" Suddenly, Cedric Diggory swam by, using his Bubble-Head Charm, and he freed Cho Chang before he turned toward the Potter twins. He tapped the wristwatch on his arm before he headed toward the surface. Leila examined the remaining students under the water. Obviously she wasn't meant to save Granger or Fleur's sister. Viktor Krum came from behind and grabbed hold of Hermione and dragged her toward the surface This narrowed things down a bit. Leila sighed and turned toward her brother. "How 'bout I take Ron?"_

 _Without waiting for Harry's response, Leila swam toward Ron and pulled out her wand to help him when a merperson blocked her path and hissed at her. Leila immediately backed away with a look of terror in her eyes. The merperson pointed toward Draco with its spear and Leila shook her head no. "Can I just leave him down here?" The merperson hissed and Leila groaned. "He's so annoying that you can't even stand him unconscious."_

" _Just take him, Leila," Harry said as he came up behind her._

" _But I don't want to."_

" _You don't really have a choice. Now, go." Leila reluctantly shot a spell to untie Malfoy from the rope that tied his ankles together. She slowly swam toward him before looking back at her brother who was with Ron. Harry nodded his head toward the surface. "I'll be right behind you. I won't let anything happen to you."_

 _Leila wrapped her arm around Malfoy before pulled him along with her toward the surface. She looked back to see that Harry wasn't right behind her, but she wanted to get out of the bloody water so she continued to press upward. Draco and Leila broke through the surface and they were both breathing normally again. Leila immediately began to panic being in the middle of the Black Lake and she clung to the closest thing to her: Draco._

 _Draco seemed in shock for a moment as Leila clung to him, closing her eyes. He looked over to the platforms to see the flashes of cameras. Then turning back to Leila, not wanting to miss his moment...especially after she saved him, he pressed his lips against hers...again, not having been the first time he had kissed her. Leila's eyes immediately flung open in shock before she pushed him away from her. Her anger seemed to outweigh her fears because she kicked him in a rather painful area before she pushed down on his shoulders, forcing him back under the water. "You, prat," Leila hissed a word each time she pushed him down. "Will. You. Stop. Kissing. Me."_

 _He quickly came back up groaning in pain, but he still called after Leila who was now swimming toward Ron Weasley who had popped to the surface. She wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and stayed on his back as he swam back to the platforms. Leila looked back to find Malfoy looking rather pleased with himself...and this time, it was all on camera. She also knew that when Harry found out about it, she was never going to hear the end of it._

 _ **~*~ End Flashback~*~**_

"Twice, if I recall correctly," Daphne smirked before she reached for her bag and headed toward the exit.

Leila groaned and rolled her eyes, thinking back to the Yule Ball and her first kiss with Draco Malfoy.

 _ **~*~Flashback to the Yule Ball~*~**_

 _Leila walked out into the deserted courtyard as the snow began to lightly fall. The wind whipped lightly causing Leila to reach for her arms. She wished that she had thought to bring her cloak with her; but there was no point in getting it now. She carefully maneuvered onto one of the stone ledges in the courtyard. For a few moments, she sat there freezing and watching the snow fall; but in her mind freezing was more preferable than any more awkward situations with Cedric and Cho...or the death glares she was receiving from Pansy Parkinson for "stealing" the girl's date. Leila ran her fingers through her curls before she shivered once more but she soon felt warmth covering her arms. Slowly, she turned and looked over her shoulder to find Draco Malfoy placing his coat on her._

 _"I don't want it," Leila said stubbornly taking his coat off and holding it out for him to grab. "I'm fine."_

 _"You're freezing. Just take it for a few minutes, Leila," Draco said gently. "You don't always have to be so stubborn, you know."_

 _"Fine." Leila rolled her eyes and reluctantly pulled his coat back on, only because she was cold. Not because she wanted anything to do with him. She the collar up over her nose and was surprised to find the scent she inhaled was rather pleasant. Draco carefully moved Leila over a few inches so that he could jump up onto the ledge and have a seat beside her. Leila originally thought to scoot further away, but the heat given off by his body made her sit still as he leaned into her with his arm resting behind her. She did straighten her stance a bit and looked straight forward, but she could still feel his warmth. "Where's Parkinson?"_

 _"Dunno, off with Davis and Bulstrode, I presume," Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders._

 _"Probably plotting my untimely death, no doubt." Leila looked over to him and rolled her eyes._

 _"More than likely."_

 _"And why aren't you with her now? She is your date afterall."_

 _"But McGonagall made me your date." Draco's icy eyes met Leila's emerald ones and Leila pushed his face away from her._

 _"I had absolutely nothing to do with that. I think I made myself fairly clear about that when I turned you down...the last time."_

 _"You just wait, Leila. There will come a day when you realize what you're missing and I'll be there waiting for you."_

 _"I didn't think you waited for anyone."_

 _"Only you."_

 _"And I believe that's enough of you for one evening."_

 _Leila quickly jumped off the ledge into a pile of lightly fluffy snow. She ignored the snow that slipped into her shoes making her feet start to freeze as she turned around and handed Malfoy his coat back. He looked at her for a moment before he sighed and grabbed his coat. She turned to walk away and was no more than a few steps away when Draco softly called after her. Leila rolled her eyes and turned back toward him again to find that he had followed her off the ledge and was only a few feet behind her. She groaned and shook her head before she started to walk away again._

 _"Diggory doesn't know what he's missing," Draco called after her._

 _"What?" Leila gasped, confused by what he was trying to say. Why would he bring up Cedric? This time, Leila stopped where she was and turned toward Draco. She glared at him with her arms folded across her chest as he closed the distance between them._

 _Draco looked at his footprints in the snow for a moment before he took a deep breath and looked at Leila. "You fancy Diggory, don't you?" Draco asked gently. In the moonlight his expression seemed almost sincere; but Leila didn't buy it._

 _"That's none of your concern."_

 _"But it concerns you."_

 _"I don't see how this is any of this should matter to you."_

 _"You look beautiful tonight, Leila," Draco said as he brushed his hand against her cheek. "I mean, you always look nice; but tonight…"_

 _"Thanks," Leila blushed and pushed his hand away from her. "I really should be going." Leila turned to walk away, but apparently he wasn't done talking to her._

 _"Diggory's an idiot," Draco sighed. Leila's eyes searched his for a moment._

 _"And why is that exactly?" Leila questioned._

 _"Anyone who chooses Chang over you is mental."_

 _"Why do you even care?"_

 _"Because it matters to you."_

 _Leila sighed and tried to leave Malfoy for hopefully the final time that evening; but she didn't get very far. Draco's hand snaked around her arm causing her to twirl and face him again. She opened her mouth to yell at him to leave her alone, but the words never came. Instead, Draco quickly pressed his lips against hers, silencing her with a soft kiss. It was her first kiss and of course, it was from Draco Malfoy of all people. Surprisingly, the kiss was very soft and sweet, much better than she had expected. When he went in for another kiss, Leila's lips responded against his, much to her surprise. But soon Leila's senses took back over and she pushed him away. She stood there frozen for a moment as her hand instantly flew to her lips which were still warm._

 _"What was that for, Malfoy?" Leila hissed._

 _"It doesn't matter…but Diggory was watching," Draco whispered into Leila's ear. "He's watching us now."_

 _The warmth from Draco's breath on her ear made Leila shiver; but she turned her head to find Draco to be telling the truth. Cedric's eyes were glued to her and Malfoy and he looked somewhat hurt, but more confused. Leila looked back to Malfoy, only to receive a wink from him before he walked away from her. Leila, slightly embarrassed by Cedric still watching her, made her way back inside needing to process what had just happened between her and Malfoy._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

When Leila broke out of her reverie, she found that her fingers were pressed against her lips and that the Quidditch pitch was nearly empty aside from the final few players headed to the changing rooms. Since darkness had overtaken the sky, Leila reached in her bag for her wand so that she could light her path even though she knew using magic outside of class wasn't allowed. But when she reached in the pocket of her bag, she found that her wand was missing. She brought her bag to her lap and began searching every nook and cranny of it, but she came up empty. A low groan escaped her lips when she realized that she had dropped her wand somewhere. The first place she needed to look was the changing rooms.

Leila pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder before she left the stands and made her way to the changing rooms. She was almost to the door when she heard voices coming from inside. Stopping for a moment, Leila listened to determine who was speaking; only to conclude that Malfoy and Zabini were talking...about her. The thought made her nervous as she pressed herself against the wall to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I watched you do it, Malfoy," Zabini drawled.

"You must be seeing things then," Malfoy commented. "Wouldn't be the first time, Blaise, now would it?"

"I must confess that you have me confused. You say you want her to stay away from you and yet…"

"She means nothing. Having Potter on as a Chaser keeps Slytherin scoring points and Urquhart off my back. That's all."

"So you admit it was you then?"

"I did no such thing."

Leila suddenly felt a tickle in her nose. She tried her best to stop it, but the sneeze came anyway. Her high-pitched sneeze echoed and Leila had no choice but to reveal herself seeing as she was wandless. So, Leila casually strolled into the changing room, keeping her gaze on the floor.

"How much of that did you hear?" Malfoy hissed as Leila kept her eyes focused to find her wand. He groaned before he walked over to her and pushed her against the wall. "I said, how much of that did you hear?"

"Sorry, you said something? I tend to ignore anything that comes from your mouth. Force of habit, you know," Leila retorted hoping that he would buy her lie. He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before he released his arm from her and rolled his eyes, accepting her retort.

"Then what are you doing here? Are you following me?"

"You know, I have better things to do with my time than _that_. For example-finding my wand."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, not believing her story; but when he glanced around the room and found a wand carelessly strewn under a bench he quickly crossed the room. Leila ran after him, but his stride was longer and he reached her wand first. She huffed and folded her arms over her chest as Malfoy toyed with her wand between his fingers. Leila tried to snatch it away from him, but he used his height to his advantage and put her wand above her head. She jumped to try and reach her wand.

"Give it here, Malfoy," Leila hissed.

"You really shouldn't be without this, you know," Malfoy commented.

"I'm not an imbecile, you prat. It was an accident."

"You never know what could happen, when you might find yourself in need of this."

"And would now be one of those situations?" The two made eye contact and for a moment neither of them broke it nor did they notice Blaise slip out. Unsure of what to say next, Leila pulled down on his arm that held her wand until it was low enough so that she could snatch it from his grasp. He scowled as she turned to walk away from him; but for a moment she stopped. With the hex on the tip of her tongue she turned toward him and cast a Bat-Bogey hex on him. Malfoy tried to cover his nose as bats began to fly out of it and Leila simply smirked. " _That's_ for stealing my wand."

Leila flipped her ponytail before she marched out of the changing rooms and headed back toward the castle under the twinkling night's sky. Back in the Slytherin dungeon, Leila spent the rest of her evening playing Exploding Snap with Theo, Daphne, Flora, and Hestia. The night went by fairly smoothly, especially since Pansy spent most of her evening in the hospital wing with Millicent. Not to mention that Draco never came back to the dungeon...at least not before Leila went to bed. After changing into her pajamas, Leila snuggled with Roman in her bed and quickly went fell asleep.

In the morning, Leila noticed that Roman was no longer in her bed with her. She looked around for him, only to find that he wasn't even in her dormitory. He must have been off doing kitty things again, so Leila quickly dressed for the day before she headed downstairs to the common room. She was greeted by many half-sleeping Slytherins who were waiting by the notice board for the year's Quidditch roster. Leila was about to walk over to the roster with Theo when someone calling her echoed through the common room. "Potter!"

Leila quickly turned to see Malfoy standing near the entrance to the girls' dormitory calling for her. But what surprised her wasn't the fact that he was calling for her-it was the fact that he carried Roman in his arms. She quickly ran across the common room and stopped in front of him. "What the bloody hell are you doing with my cat?"

"I found him in my bed." Leila watched as Malfoy rubbed his fingers on Roman's head and made no motion to release him. Roman looked at Leila innocently and meowed.

"Traitor kitty," Leila hissed at him. "You left me for him? You're in big trouble mister."

Roman meowed again. Leila rolled her eyes before reaching to grab him from Malfoy's arms. Her fingers brushed up against his hand and she thought that her veins might be flowing lava. She quickly recoiled before looking up at him. He quickly scowled before he gently set Roman on the back of the sofa and then escaped back to his dormitory. Roman moved to follow him, but Leila bent down and grabbed him. "I don't think so." With that, Leila walked Roman back to her dormitory and locked him inside before walking back to the common room. As she returned to the whispers of the year's Quidditch team she could have sworn she saw Malfoy try to sneak out of the common room undetected; but Leila couldn't be sure because one second she saw a whir of platinum blonde hair and the next she saw no sign of him.

After breakfast, Leila spent the majority of her weekend avoiding Millicent Bulstrode. Apparently, the girl wasn't quite convinced that Leila hadn't played any part in her being hexed. It even came to the point that she had to meet with Snape. Surprisingly, Snape seemed to believe her when she told him that she had been unarmed. But that was mostly because he had been watching the trials and knew she hadn't done it. Although, that didn't stop him from bringing her in to be questioned. Other than her meeting with Snape, Leila visited Hagrid, studied in the library, or simply wandered around the castle in order to avoid the girl.

Monday morning finally rolled around and Leila was slow to get out of bed for class. She cursed herself for not thinking of dropping Ancient Runes in favor of more sleep. At least she found Ancient Runes interesting...most of the time. She loved the challenge of figuring out what things meant, but the unending pile of homework she could do without. Leila quickly dressed for the day and ran a brush through her hair, opting to leave it down for the day before she shoved her assignments in her book bag and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Leila sat with Theo for breakfast since most of the Slytherins in her year were still sleeping because they had a free period first hour. She listened to Theo express his disappointment over only making the Reserve squad this year. Leila tried to remind him that he was first on the list and that should one of the Chasers be unable to fulfill their duties he would be called up; but that didn't really seem to offer him much comfort.

Theo and Leila walked to Ancient Runes together. Noticing that Malfoy wasn't in class yet, Leila took a risk and sat beside Theo instead of sitting beside Granger. Surprisingly, she was never forced to give up her seat because Malfoy never showed up for class. Leila found this quite odd. Unless he had been in the hospital wing, Malfoy always came to class...always; but yet he wasn't in class. She supposed it was possible he could have overslept; but she didn't voice her concern.

Leila tried her best to pay attention to Professor Babbling's lecture, but her need to check the classroom to see if Malfoy showed up seemed more important to her teenage brain. But why did she care if he wasn't in class? She was in class and that was the only person she should be concerned with and yet...here she was, fretting over why Draco Malfoy wasn't in class. Leila shook her head and rubbed at her face when Professor Babbling called on her. Theo nudged her in the ribs, but Leila only looked up at her professor with her eyes wide. She then shrugged her shoulders. "Miss Potter, see me after class."

Leila sighed before Babbling began teaching again. When class was finally excused, Theo mouthed the words _good luck_ to her before he left the classroom. Slowly, she walked up to Professor Bobberty's desk. The older woman looked at her with pursed lips. Leila figured she should say something first.

"I-I'm sorry, Professor," Leila stammered.

"You seem distracted recently," Babbling said.

"I-I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Not just today, Miss Potter. Since the beginning of the year."

"We've only had like three classes." Leila slightly cringed when the words came from her lips. Professor Babbling shook her head and met Leila's gaze.

"I saw your O.W.L scores in Ancient Runes. You managed to get the highest score for your year in this particular area, yes, even a full mark higher than Miss Granger. No, Miss Potter, you're a talented young witch. I think you could excel far if you would pay attention and devote yourself to your studies."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. It won't happen again."

"I'm afraid you're going to be late to your next class. Where are you going? I'll write you a note."

"Defense."

"With Professor Snape...I see." Leila shook her head. Even Professor Babberty knew what a pain-in-the-arse Snape could be. Nevertheless, the woman wrote Leila a note before handing it to her.

Leila thanked the woman before she practically ran out of the room and down the corridors. Even Filch couldn't stop her if he tried at the speed she was going to reach Defense on time, despite having a note. She knew that Snape still wouldn't be pleased...and she was right. The door to the classroom was closed. Leila heaved it open to find Snape glaring at her. "You're late, Potter."

"I have a note, sir," Leila breathed raggedly.

"Bring it to me." Snape practically snatched the note from her hands before quickly dismissing her. "Find your seat."

Leila scanned the desks to find that the only empty one was in the front beside the desk Granger shared with Neville. It looked like Leila was going to have the desk to herself, she she slid into the empty seat before looking over her shoulder at Daphne, who looked at Leila sympathetically. Just as Leila turned to the front the classroom door flung open again to reveal Malfoy running into the room. His hair was slightly disheveled and his eyes looked somewhat wild. Snape didn't seem to wonder where he was, instead, their professor impatiently waited for the blonde boy to take his seat. Leila and Malfoy groaned simultaneously when they realized that they were going to partners. Malfoy slid into the seat beside Leila after making his walk of shame to the front of the room. He rigidly sat at the edge of the seat, as far away from her as he could possibly get. His face wore his new favorite sneer as he reached into his bag and pulled out his Defense textbook as Snape began to lecture.

Knowing that Malfoy wasn't paying Snape any attention, Leila scooted a little closer to him and whispered, "You weren't in Ancient Runes. Where were you?" He didn't answer her. Instead, he just paged through his book. "Surprise. Surprise. The silent treatment."

"How the bloody hell did I get stuck sitting next to you?" Malfoy scoffed never looking up from his book.

"You poor thing," Leila said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Too bad Daddy's not around to do anything about it."

Malfoy turned his head toward her and the look in his eyes was pure ice. "At least my father's alive, Potter. Can't say that about yours, now can you?"

Something inside Leila snapped. Her face contorted in rage before she slapped Malfoy hard across the face with her hand. He had never played the dead parents card with her before. Sure, he had used it countless times on Harry before; but he had always been decent enough to refrain from using it with her. Maybe things really had changed between the two of them. Malfoy's hand instantly flew to the cheek where Leila's hand had made contact with his face. He scowled at her, taking a moment to come up with his counterattack. With his hand still attached to his face, he pushed Leila's books off the desk with his free hand before giving her a good shove. Leila screamed as she fell hard on her arse onto the stone floor.

"You. Prat." Leila hissed over enunciating every word.

By this point, the entire Defense class had their eyes on the two of them, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Leila, knowing she would have Harry's full blessing for engaging in a fight with Malfoy, slowly got to her feet before she lunged at Malfoy. Snape however, intervened and with a flick of his wrist, Leila was hovering midair with her hands outstretched, mere inches from Malfoy. "Potter! Malfoy! Detention! Both of you see me after class!"

Snape released Leila from his spell, causing her to crash into Malfoy sending them both flying to the floor. Knowing they were both in trouble, they didn't say anything to each other, but muttered to themselves as they picked themselves back up and sat at their desk as far away from each other as they could. In the corner of her eye, Leila saw Harry raise his hand with a grin on his face, "Not one word, Potter or you'll find yourself conveniently in detention when you're supposed to be holding Quidditch trials." Harry put his hand back down and shrugged at Ron.

For the rest of the Defense class period, Leila glared at Malfoy in attempts to make him realize how pissed off she was; but he just sat there with his jaw set and his gaze straight forward. She knew he still wasn't paying attention to Snape, but he also wasn't paying attention to her. When the neverending class finally did come to an end, everyone but Leila and Malfoy exited the room. The other students were slow to exit because they wished to see what was going to happen, but Snape waited until everyone had left the room, which seemed like an eternity. The door finally shut and Snape motioned them both upstairs while standing on his balcony.

Leila and Malfoy both slowly walked toward the stairs and Leila made sure to purposely run into him. "This is all your fault, Malfoy," she hissed.

"Will you shut up, Potter?" Draco sneered back at her before giving her a shove so he could ascend the staircase first. Leila growled before she followed him up the stairs.

Once the two teenagers were in his office, Professor Snape glared between Potter and Malfoy. Malfoy stood at one corner of his desk, while Potter stood at another. Both teenagers had their arms folded across their chests defensively, neither looking at the other. With a scowl on his face, Snape began to drawl, "I expected much better from the two of you. You couldn't even make it a week without fighting and don't think I haven't heard of the incident on the Quidditch Pitch. So you leave me no choice but to give you both detentions until further notice."

"You can't do that," Malfoy hissed. "I have things that need attending."

"And I need my prefects to behave! So until I say otherwise, you will meet me every evening for detention. Is that understood?" Malfoy was about ready to argue when Snape repeated himself. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, Professor," Leila and Malfoy muttered simultaneously.

Snape then showed them the door. They were both barely out the door when it slammed shut behind them, leaving the two teenagers alone in the Defense classroom. Malfoy kicked at the spindles of the banister. Leila rolled her eyes and pushed past him to descend the stairs. She walked as fast as her little legs would carry her; but Malfoy easily caught up to her and this time he had some words he needed to voice with her. "Now look what you've done!" Malfoy hissed.

"Me? This is all your fault," Leila retorted.

"How is this _my_ fault?" I've been avoiding you, remember?"

"How could I have possibly forgotten?"

"Why can't you just listen to me for once in your life? Stay away from me!"

"I would, but now where would the fun be in that?"

Something inside Draco snapped, he grabbed Leila by the arm causing her to jerk back and stop walking. She tried to wiggle free of his grasp, but instead, he roughly pushed her up against the stone wall under the balcony. He placed both of his hand on the stone wall, on either side of her head; attempting to make her feel trapped. Using his height to his advantage, he glared down at her coldly trying to intimidate her; but Leila refused to back down.

"I'm not scared of you," Leila scoffed.

"You should be," Draco hissed.

Leila roughly snaked her hand around Malfoy's Slytherin tie and pulled. Her icy expression met his expression; but she was surprised to find not to find his cold facade he had been trying to convince her of; instead, she saw the same look in his eyes that she had seen the night of the Yule Ball...right before he had kissed her. Leila's heart skipped a beat and unexpectedly fluttered at the glimmer of hope she saw in his eyes. She couldn't logically explain what happened next in the Defense classroom. It all happened so fast as she listened to what her heart was telling her.

With her hands still wrapped around his tie, she pulled herself up with it so that she was on her tiptoes...and then, she kissed him. Leila gently pressed her lips against Draco's warm lips. It took Draco a moment to understand what was happening, but his lips quickly and eagerly responded as he pushed Leila back against the wall with her pressed tightly against him. Both teenagers gasped for air before going in for several more heated kisses. Draco's hands moved from the wall and wrapped themselves in Leila's hair. Leila nipped at Draco's bottom lip before she tore her face away from his to catch her breath.

Draco rested his forehead against Leila's as her emerald eyes gazed into his icy ones while he braced himself once more against the wall. This time, Leila saw something more in his eyes. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Draco Malfoy still cared about Leila Potter. Despite all his actions attempting to prove otherwise, he still gave a damn. Her emerald eyes stayed locked on his icy ones in silences for a few moments as Leila's hands found their way to Draco's cheeks.

"Draco," Leila whispered, calling him by a name she rarely used, with a hint of a smile on her face.

Draco opened his mouth to say something when the wistful expression on his face quickly disappeared and turned into a scowl. He tried to keep his emotions in check, but it was of no use. He shook his head before he pounded his fists into the wall behind Leila. Making sure not to look at her, Draco ran from the classroom leaving Leila against the wall, gently pressing her fingertips to her slightly swollen lips. "I kissed him," was all she could manage to choke out.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So...yeah, that happened. I've been wanting to write that since I started the rewrite! Haha.**

* * *

 _Come visit Leila's tumblr (leilapotter) if you 'd like to see edits, manips, or have questions answered quickly._


	11. Don't be a Fool, Leila

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Don't be a Fool, Leila**

Leila leaned against the wall still pressing her fingers to her lips in disbelief. What had she just done? She, Leila Potter, had kissed Draco Malfoy. She blinked slowly trying to process what she had done. It didn't make any sense- _her_ initiating a kiss with _him_. It always played out the other way around...always. But then there was the matter that he had kissed her back. After the months of trying to ignore her he had reached his breaking point and had given in to her. If all of that wasn't confusing enough, she hardly dare to admit that she _enjoyed_ kissing Draco. The thought of enjoying anything about him seemed preposterous. Leila threw her head back, smashing it unintentionally into the stone wall. She groaned in pain and brought her hand to the back of her head. If there was one thing she was certain of: nothing made sense.

Running her fingers through her hair in frustration, Leila slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't have a bloody idea what she was supposed to do about it now. She probably should have thought about that before she kissed him. The whole scenario went against her very nature; she always thought things through. Yet, here she was in a rather sticky situation, which was just about to get stickier. Snape's office door upstairs slammed shut and Leila could hear his footsteps descending down the stairs. Still shielded underneath the balcony, Leila tightly pressed herself against the wall and hoped that Snape wouldn't notice her.

She held her breath as Snape walked to his desk and thumbed through the pile of parchment. For a moment, she thought she was going to get away with it. She would just have to wait until he went back upstairs; but he looked at the desk she had been sitting at...where her bag still lay. Damnit. With his lip curled, Snape surveyed the room to find Leila Potter pressed against the wall. "Potter, what are you still doing here?"

"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you, sir," Leila almost whispered. Snape cocked an eyebrow. "But I was just going." Snape nodded curtly before Leila ran from the room. She barely had a foot out the door when she halted and slowly turned around. Professor Snape was looking at her before his gaze moved to her bag. Leila tugged at the collar of her shirt, still feeling slightly breathless. "I-I probably should take my things, shouldn't I?"

With her face aflame, Leila quickly walked back to the front of the room and shoved her belongings in her bag. She could practically feel Snape looking at her. Although, she thought it was because he knew what had just happened, when in actuality, he just wanted her out of his classroom. Fearing that she might accidentally confess what had just taken place in his classroom, Leila refused to look at Professor Snape again before she ran from the classroom and down the corridor until she reached her Arithmancy classroom.

For the third time that day, she was late. Leila burst through the doors to find Professor Vector already teaching. The teenage girl's eyes widened for a moment as the entire class turned to look at her. It felt like they all knew that she had just kissed Draco, but that was absurd. They couldn't possibly know. Right? Profesor Vector stepped out from her teaching post and leaned against her desk. "Miss Potter, would you care to inform us why you're tardy?" Leila bit her bottom lip in thought for a moment before she shook her head no. Vector raised an eyebrow curiously.

"She had to meet after class with Professor Snape ma'am," Daphne offered for Leila's defense. Professor Vector nodded knowingly as Daphne grabbed the sleeve of Leila's robe and pulled the Potter girl onto the bench of the desk. Vector began teaching once again as Daphne leaned toward Leila, "What did Snape say?"

"I think he gave us detention," Leila whispered.

"What do you mean you _think_?"

Leila's heart stopped for a moment, but she took a calm and collected breath to figure out what she was going to say before she spoke, "Just a lot to process. You know, with Snape and all. A lot of...yelling."

"I still can't believe you did that to Draco."

"Did what to him?" Leila's eyes were widened and her heart was beating fast. She tugged at the collar of her shirt as warmth began to radiate from her face. Daphne looked at her quizzically, like Leila should know what she had done.

"Slapped him."

"Oh yeah, I slapped him, didn't I?"

"Snape must've really gotten to you."

Leila simply nodded her head, not wanting to explain that it was really Draco who was on her mind. She wasn't sure whether it was a blessing or a curse that Draco wasn't in Arithmancy anymore, having dropped the class since last year. While Leila pretended to be paying attention to Professor Vector, she couldn't get that kiss off her mind. It seemed to be playing on loop in her head, but every time the scene came to an end, she grew anxious over what was going to happen next. Perhaps nothing, but she wasn't sure if she wanted nothing to happen after _that._

When class finally ended, Leila distractedly walked to the Great Hall for lunch with Theo and Daphne. As they walked, Leila kept scanning the students for any sight of Draco. Daphne asked her who she was looking for, but Leila just shrugged it off as they rounded the corridor and were in plain view of the Great Hall. The Slytherin trio walked over to their House table and sat down. Leila sat with her back to the entrance as she reached for a sandwich. She was about to bite into her lunch when Theo said, "Look who it is."

Leila turned to see Draco swaggering down the row between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. He appeared to be looking at the stone floor, but he suddenly stopped when he noticed Leila looking at him. Leila had accidentally dropped her sandwich onto her lap and sat there practically frozen looking at him with her mouth agape. Draco seemed to be breathing heavily as he and Leila looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Absently, Leila brought her fingers up to her lips causing Draco to look to her lips for a moment before he turned away with a pained expression on his face, clutching his hand as he walked away.

"What was that about?" Daphne whispered.

"I haven't a clue," Leila mumbled as she watched him walk out of the Great Hall before she turned back toward her friends. Sheepishly, she picked her fallen sandwich out of her lap and set it back down on her plate. Suddenly, she wasn't all that hungry anymore. So, she pushed her plate to the side a bit and rested her elbows on the table, cradling her head in her hands. Daphne looked at Leila curiously, but chose not to say anything.

Theo took a giant bite of his sandwich, which he hardly chewed before swallowing. He looked at Leila and nodded his head before speaking, "Leila, what are you doing your free period?" Leila continued staring straight ahead, but she did manage to slightly shrug her shoulders. "I was hoping you would come with me to the library. I need help…"

"I can help you," Daphne interrupted causing Theo to turn to look at her. "I-I mean, only if you want. I think Leila mentioned having plans this morning. Right Leila?" Daphne looked to Leila with a knowing _please don't ruin this_ kind of glance. So, Leila slowly nodded her head, causing Theo to look slightly saddened but Daphne was practically grinning. "What do you say?"

"Alright then, I suppose," Theo responded before he looked at Leila. "If you finish whatever it is you're doing, come find us then."

"We'll see," Leila said lightly before she stood up and flung her book bag over her shoulder. "I better get started on those things I need to attend to."

Knowing that she needed some time to herself to not only hide from Theo and Daphne, but to also sort out what happened with Draco, Leila found herself headed to the Room of Requirement. No one ought to be in there...or at least not anyone she wished to hide from. So, Leila maneuvered her way to the seventh floor by navigating her way through the moving staircases, which took a bit longer than normal because she was so distracted that she missed a few of the landings she was supposed to step onto. She was slightly out of breath by the time she finally managed to reach the seventh floor corridors and head in the direction of the Room of Requirement. As she neared her destination, she couldn't help but remember the first time she entered the come and go room.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 5th year~*~**_

 _Leila jumped up onto a ledge in in the Clock Tower Courtyard. To be honest, Leila really had no desire to leave her dormitory; but Daphne had threatened to drag her out and force her to spend time with Malfoy if she didn't. So, with her Muggle clothes underneath her Slytherin robe and her hair unbrushed, she had escaped her dormitory for some fresh air. She sat with her back leaning up against the stone wall and her feet up on the ledge, still unable to touch the other wall with her short legs._

 _Her eyes scanned the younger students enjoying themselves in the courtyard. Well, enjoying themselves as much as one could enjoy themselves under Dolores Umbridge's new regime. A group of first year boys from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were off in a corner playing a game of Exploding Snap. A group of other students were in another corner playing Gobstones. Leila shifted uncomfortably as she watched them. She felt numb. Numb to the world around her and she felt as if she was never going to be happy again. Then again, she wasn't sure that she wanted to feel happy again and that was a scary thought._

 _Running her fingers through her tangled hair, Leila decided to attempt to put it up. Over the summer, Leila had chopped off her long longs with Aunt Petunia's shears. When she had gotten to Order Headquarters, Mrs Weasley managed to fix the mangled mess into a nice chin length bob; but since then her hair had grown long enough to be put up once again. She finally managed to get her hair into a messy bun before she closed her eyes and inhaled as a gentle breeze came off the lake. With her eyes still closed, she heard footsteps approaching her and stop beside her. Leila opened one eye to see Malfoy standing beside her, reading to jump up onto the ledge next to her._

" _Not you," Leila groaned. "How'd you manage to find me?"_

" _Greengrass let it slip that you finally left your dormitory. So, I figured I'd follow after you," Draco responded as he was perched beside her. "You know, make sure you're not getting into any trouble."_

" _Well, you can leave."_

" _This is the thanks you give me for saving your arse from Umbridge the other day?" Draco gave Leila a pointed look to which she rolled her eyes. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, which only made Draco scoot closer toward her. He was about to say something, but then he stopped for a moment and smirked before he finally spoke. "You seem awfully fond of this ledge."_

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _Draco leaned in closer so that his chin nearly rested on Leila's arms. His icy eyes looked straight into Leila's emerald ones before he hoarsely whispered, "I know you remember last year. We could go for a repeat performance."_

 _With a resurgence of annoyance toward Malfoy, Leila gave him a proper shove sending him falling off the ledge and onto the ground. While Malfoy groaned from the cobbled floor inside the courtyard, Leila swung her legs around and attempted to make her exit in the outdoors corridor surrounding the courtyard. But the blonde-haired boy was quick to pick himself up and intercept Leila. Draco's hand snaked around Leila's upper arm. "C'mon, Leila. Stay. I'll be good, I promise. I won't snog you unless you want me to."_

" _Just leave me alone, Malfoy," Leila said, her voice quivering. "I just want to be…"_

" _Leila, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Came a voice from the stairs back into the castle. Leila and Draco turned to find Fred Weasley walking toward them. Draco's grip on Leila's arm lessened and she managed to free her arm as Fred approached them._

" _Stay out of this, Weasley," Draco hissed._

" _Stay out of what exactly? Leila and I have plans...that don't involve you," Fred responded. "Isn't that right, Leila?"_

 _Leila opened her mouth to say something, but Draco spoke first. "She was with me first. Now leave or I'll report you to Umbridge. I'm sure there are plenty of decrees I can choose from."_

" _How can she be with you when she's really with me. Right, love?" Fred turned toward Leila and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer toward him. Leila's eyes were wide with shock and she stood rather stiffly beside Fred, blinking slowly._

" _You two?" Malfoy scoffed. "I don't believe it for a minute. The thought it utterly ridiculous."_

" _That's your choice, mate."_

" _I'm not your mate." Draco narrowed his eyes at Fred who simply shrugged his shoulders. Leila felt dwarfed standing beside both boys who had more than a few inches on her. The blonde-haired boy rolled his eyes at the ginger-haired boy before turning toward the petite dark-haired girl. "There's no need for this charade, Leila. Let's go."_

 _Leila blinked slowly looking between Fred, whose arm was still protectively wrapped around her, and Draco who looked to be masking his hurt with an expression of annoyance. "I told you to leave me alone, Malfoy," Leila spoke softly. "I've asked you that for years and you never seem to listen."_

" _Shall we get to it, then?" Fred asked her without actually giving her time to voice a response. Instead, he gently guided Leila away from Malfoy and back toward the castle._

" _This isn't over!" Malfoy shouted behind them as they walked away._

 _Leila looked up to Fred who was shaking, trying to hide his laughter. She simply shook her head and sighed as they crossed the threshold into the castle. When they were out of view of Malfoy, Leila shrugged Fred's arm from her shoulder and innocently pushed him away, so she could have her space. Fred looked to her and grinned, "Hopefully that should keep him at bay for a while."_

" _I doubt it. Don't get me wrong, that was brilliant...terrible; but brilliant. Although he's probably following us right now."_

" _Good thing I know this castle better than he does."_

" _Just get me back to my common room before he gets there."_

" _We're not going to your common room." Fred reached for Leila's hand as he rounded a corner to an abandoned corridor, pulling her behind him. What surprised Leila was that he didn't remove his hand. Instead, he didn't let go of her hand and just continued to lead her._

" _Fred, where are you taking me?"_

" _You'll find out when we get there."_

" _We've talked about this, Fred. You know I..."_

" _Yeah, well Harry and I talked about this too. We both think it's time you join the party."_

" _Fred Weasley, you stop right now!" Leila's voice echoed through the corridor as Fred came to a screeching halt. He released Leila's hand and turned to face her with his hands up in a defensive position, something Leila wasn't used to seeing from him. Leila glanced down at the stone floor trying to keep from crying but it was no use. She looked up to Fred again and her voice faltered as she spoke, "I'm not ready yet."_

" _C'mon, Leils," Fred said with a gentle smile on his face. "I'll be with your the entire time. I won't leave you. I promise." Leila looked up at him, blinking away her tears. "Well, Harry will be there too, you know; but I can't say I'd mind if you wanted to pretend he wasn't there."_

 _Leila chuckled at Fred's poor attempt at a joke before she sniffled. She wiped at her face with the sleeve of her robe, trying to get rid of any evidence that she had been crying. "Fine, but if you leave me, I'll make sure Malfoy hunts you down."_

" _Psh, he probably already is." Fred rolled his eyes before he motioned for Leila to follow after him. "We should probably hurry. I think they're waiting on us."_

 _Fred started to run and Leila felt a slight surge of energy push through her as she ran to catch up with him. Surprisingly, she found herself giggling when she nearly missed rounding a corner and Fred called after her. She felt more alive in that moment than she had felt since Cedric died._

 _When they finally reached the seventh floor, Leila was almost out of breath from running and laughing. Fred stopped suddenly in front of a wall and leaned against it looking at Leila wildly. "We're here."_

" _Where exactly is here?" Leila asked looking around and not seeing a single thing aside from the stone wall._

" _The Room of Requirement," Fred said knowingly. "Also known as the come-and-go room."_

" _Who told you that?"_

" _What makes you think someone told me?" Leila looked at him pointedly and Fred shook his head. "Hermione."_

" _Well, all I see is a wall." Leila folded her arms across her chest._

" _That's the beauty of it. Not just anyone can find it. Which makes it perfect for the D.A."_

" _How do you get in?"_

" _I'll show you." Fred extended his hand for Leila to grab. Reluctantly, she put her hand in his before he began to pace in front of the wall and whisper. "You need to focus on what you need. We need a secret place where we can be safe from Umbridge...a place to practice for Dumbledore's Army." He then sharply turned so that they were walking the other direction. "Focus. Keep thinking." Fred turned again so that they were going the original direction. "And voila!"_

 _Leila looked where Fred was pointing and a door suddenly appeared. Her eyes widened before she looked to Fred with her mouth agape. Fred grinned as he twisted the doorknob and opened the door. "Ladies, first," Fred said, slightly bowing toward Leila, which made her roll her eyes._

" _But I'm a Slytherin," Leila whispered._

" _Yeah, but you're with me."_

 _Leila slowly exhaled before she nodded her head and stepped through the door and into the Room of Requirement._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila stared at the wall in front of her for a moment before she began to concentrate on what she needed. She needed a room where no one could find her so that she could be alone with her thoughts. Focusing on what she needed, she walked in front of the wall three times. She stopped and looked for a door, but was surprised not to find one. With a quizzical expression on her brow, Leila repeated the process again. When she stopped, there still was no entrance into the room of requirement. "Bloody hell," Leila muttered.

Taking a step back, Leila focused on the steps she had taken; but she couldn't find fault with them. She had done exactly as she had last school year, but this time nothing happened. Growing more frustrated, Leila paced in front of where the room should be two more times; but still no door appeared. Her emotions seemed to overtake her as she punched at the stone wall with her fist; something she immediately regretted doing. Leila's scream resounded through the empty corridor before she brought her hand to her mouth. She sucked her hand where her skin had been scraped and blood had broken through; but it did nothing to relieve the throbbing. She knew she shouldn't have done something so reckless; but it seemed like today she wasn't really acting like herself.

Grimacing for a moment, Leila looked down at her damaged hand. Aside from the obvious scrapes, it appeared that she had a knuckle out of place. Leila cursed under her breath before she kicked at the wall. Either someone was in there or Dumbledore had figured out a way to close it off; but Leila knew that she wasn't getting in there at that moment. With pain shooting up her hand from her knuckles, Leila decided to walk to a place she frequented far too often during her time at Hogwarts: the hospital wing.

 _ **~*~ Flashback to 1st year~*~**_

 _At the entrance to the lavatory stood Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell, all standing there dumbstruck. When Professor McGonagall caught sight of the troll she gasped, but she gasped once more when she caught sight of Leila. "Severus," McGonagall said._

 _With his face nearly as pale as Leila's, Snape limped over to where the little girl lay. Harry noticed his limp as well as a tear in the pants leg along with a bloody gash on his leg. Snape quickly covered his leg with his cloak as he bent down to examine Leila. He shoved Harry out of the way, who fell backward onto his behind. The professor muttered some words which Harry couldn't quite catch. Snape placed his hand on Leila's pale neck. This gesture caused Leila's eyes to flutter open before she started to cry from how much pain she was in. Snape winced._

 _"Hospital wing," were the only words Snape muttered before he scooped Leila up in his arms and stood up. He limped with the small crying girl in his arms to the hospital wing while Professor McGonagall stayed for an explanation. Snape burst through the hospital wing doors to find Poppy Pomfrey looking to him frantically._

 _"What happened?" Pomfrey asked._

 _"Troll," was all Snape could muster. Madam Pomfrey ushered Snape inside and pointed to a bed which he laid Leila on "Dumbledore will want to know how she is," Snape said. "Go to the Headmaster's office when you're done."_

 _With that Snape walked out of the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey quickly set to work. Pomfrey worked quickly, checking on all of Leila's injuries: a broken arm, broken rib, a large gash on her hairline, and many minor scratches. Nothing that couldn't easily be fixed; but Madam Pomfrey hoped that this wasn't a sign of things to come. She only hoped that the poor girl wouldn't be in here too often; but knowing the girl's father it almost seemed like too much to hope for. When Madam Pomfrey had everything mended that could be, she gave the girl a Sleeping Draught. Moments later, Leila was fast asleep._

 _Leila awoke rather stiffly as the sun poured into the room, something that she wasn't used to. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was in a bed with white sheets surrounded by make-shift curtain dividers. A groan escaped her lips as she realized where she was: the hospital wing. She shifted uncomfortably partly because of the soreness and partly because of the sling her left arm was in. Her right hand found its way to her face as she rubbed her sore temple. Last night seemed somewhat of a blur. She had gone after a bloody mountain troll with Harry and Ron to save Granger and in the process, she had gotten herself hurt. If Hermione Granger wouldn't have run-off, she never would be in the hospital wing. Leila spotted a glass of water at her bedside table. She rolled over onto her side but gasped as a pain shot through her midsection. How badly had she gotten hurt?_

 _"We would like to see Leila," a familiar voice said from behind the curtains._

 _"I'm sorry, but she's asleep at the moment," Madam Pomfrey said firmly._

 _"No, I'm not." The curtains quickly flung open as Madam Pomfrey stepped through them before immediately closing them behind her. The older woman started to examine her with a solemn expression on her face. Madam Pomfrey pressed at Leila's temple gently before pushing her hair out of the young girl's face. The woman muttered something to herself about minimal scarring. Leila's eyes widened, scarring? The Hogwarts healer must have noticed Leila's somewhat panicked expression before she shook her head._

 _"Broken arm, broken rib, and cuts," Madam Pomfrey began. "Nothing I couldn't easily mend. You'll be sore for the next day or two and I'd recommend keeping your arm in that sling for at least a week."_

 _"That's it?" Leila asked._

 _This wasn't the first time she had broken her arm. A couple of years ago she had been running away from Dudley and his friends. She had tripped over the garden hose and fallen face first in the dirt. That hadn't caused her to break her arm. No, Dudley couldn't stop his momentum from the awkward motion he called running and he stomped right on her arm causing it to crack beneath his weight. Leila had suspected that the only reason Aunt Petunia actually took her into the Emergency Department was because Mrs. Figg had mysteriously turned up only a few moments later. Anyway, Leila had been in a hard cast for over a month and now this woman was telling her that she was only recommending a sling for the next week._

 _"Can we see her yet? We have classes to get to?"_

 _"Classes? I—"Leila began as she sat up._

 _"You're not going anywhere, Miss Potter" Madam Pomfrey said placing her hand out to hold Leila back._

 _"But I need to go to class."_

 _"That may very well be, but you're staying in that bed until I say you can leave. I'll allow you visitors for a few minutes."_

 _Leila knew that she probably wouldn't be able to change the woman's mind, so she plopped her head back onto her pillows. She immediately regretted the action as a sharp pain shot through her ribs. Madam Pomfrey opened the curtains and immediately Daphne pushed her way through followed by Theo._

 _"You're not as bloodied up as they said you were," Daphne commented._

 _"People are talking about me?" Leila asked._

 _"Of course. Only they don't know why you're actually here."_

 _"But there is a rumour going around that you were decapitated," Theo chuckled._

 _"Then I wouldn't be here, I'd be dead," Leila responded._

 _"In their defense, they were Hufflepuffs," Daphne scoffed. "Not that they're very credible to begin with." Theo snickered at Daphne's statement. Daphne sat on the edge of Leila's bed. She looked over her shoulder to make sure that Madam Pomfrey was out of earshot. "We were worried when you didn't come back last night," Daphne whispered. "And then we heard you were in here. What happened?"_

 _"Long story," Leila sighed. "One that involves my brother, Ron Weasley, Granger, and a mountain troll."_

 _"Sounds like a terrible story," Theo said._

 _"I really wouldn't know. Apparently, I was unconscious for most of it."_

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Once Leila was inside the hospital wing, she was greeted by Madam Pomfrey, who was shaking her head. "What did you do now, Miss Potter?"

Having been to the hospital wings so many times before, Leila sighed and simply walked over to the Healer. She outstretched her hand in front of the woman who clicked her tongue and shook her head again before she had Leila sit down on a bed. Leila tried to make herself comfortable as the woman got a closer look at her hand. "I would have thought you could heal this on your own," Madam Pomfrey commented.

"Wand hand," Leila muttered as she cringed while Madam Pomfrey's thumb brushed against her knuckle. "Besides, I thought we weren't supposed to do magic outside of class."

"I think we both know you never listen to _that_ rule."

Leila rolled her eyes at Madam Pomfrey's comment as the Healer pulled her wand from her apron pocket and pointed it at Leila's hand. The older woman performed a spell that caused Leila's knuckle to pop back into place. Leila tried to hold back a scream, but a muffled one managed to escape. The Potter girl's eyes watered as the Healer examined the hand for signs of any other breaks. Madam Pomfrey then reached for a gauze bandage which she wrapped around the girl's hand.

"You always manage to get scraped-up in your grand schemes. A mountain troll, facing You-Know-Who, a flying car…" Madam Pomfrey began listing off her trips to the hospital wing in chronological order.

"Those weren't _my_ schemes," Leila sighed.

"Then may I ask how you managed this?" The older woman gently held up Leila's hand.

"I punched…"

"Please don't say, Mr Malfoy." The older woman had slightly turned away grimacing, as she put her free hand up as if to stop Leila.

"I punched the wall." Madam Pomfrey looked at her pointedly. Leila rolled her eyes again, but she knew what the woman was onto. Probably almost as often as Leila was dragged into Harry's schemes, Malfoy somehow ended up in the hospital wing thanks to her. Although, he deserved it each and every time; but she wasn't about to confess to something she never did. "Why would you assume I punched _him_?"

"Mr Malfoy was in here not too long ago with the very same problem: broken knuckles in his hand. I not deaf to Hogwarts' gossip you know; I know about the many scrapes you two have managed to get yourselves into."

"I said that I punched a wall."

"So did he."

By the time Madam Pomfrey finally excused her, Leila was late for her final class of the day: Potions. With her hand bandaged, her tie coming undone, and her book bag open, Leila ran down the corridor to make it to potions class somewhat on time. For the fourth time that day, Leila walked into a classroom only to have all eyes on her. She groaned before she walked over to her table with Harry, Ron, and Granger. After dropping her book bag on the table, she climbed onto her stool beside Harry and across from Ron as Professor Slughorn thankfully made no mention of her tardiness. The gauze on her hand started to itch, so Leila scratched at her hand.

"What else did you do to Malfoy?" Ron whispered leaning across the table. Leila's head flung up to look at him with wide eyes. He couldn't possibly know she kissed Draco, could he? No, he couldn't because Ron would have snitched on her to Harry. But Leila sat there nervously for a moment before the ginger-haired boy continued. "I didn't see that part of your hand make contact with his face when you slapped him. Which was brilliant by the way."

"Ron, as prefects we're not supposed to condone such behavior," Granger hissed.

"You punched the git third year."

"Once. I don't make a regular habit of it like _some_ people."

"That almost hurt, Granger," Leila scoffed sarcastically pretending to hold her heart. She rolled her eyes before turning back to Ron "And for the record Ron, I punched a wall because I couldn't get into the Room of Requirement." Leila rubbed at her hand again.

"What do you mean you couldn't get in?" Harry whispered turning to his sister.

"I think it's pretty self-explanatory, Harry."

"She is right make," Ron chuckled.

Harry groaned, "I just mean that if you couldn't get in, then someone was probably already in there. My money is on…"

"If you say Malfoy, he won't be the only one I slap today." Ron started to choke trying to hold back his laughter.

"Will you three pay attention," Granger hissed before she exasperatingly slammed her book onto the table. "Some of us are trying to learn."

"What's got her wand all in a knot?" Ron muttered.

Finally, Slughorn finished lecturing. He wanted them to brew a Befudlement Draught, which they had already brewed last year; but no one told him that. So, Leila walked over to the cupboard for the necessary ingredients. As she walked, for the first time since she entered class, she looked over at the Slytherin table to see if Draco was handling the situation better than she was. But when she looked over to the table, she only found Daphne, Blaise, and Pansy quietly talking amongst themselves. Leila grabbed her scurvy grass, lovage, and sneezewort before she walked back over to her table. To her surprise, Harry had set her cauldron up for her. She suspiciously narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"What do you want?" Leila groaned. "I know you want something. I've known you for over sixteen years now."

"We need to talk about Malfoy," Harry whispered.

"Hey, I told you that…"

"No," Harry said putting his hand up in defense. "You said if I said he was in the Room of Requirement you'd slap me. You never said we couldn't talk about him. Besides, he's not here, it's the perfect time."

Leila bit her bottom lip for a minute, almost debating telling her brother what had transpired between her and Malfoy after Defense; but that was probably the worst idea she ever had. Harry couldn't handle that truth, especially in front of so many witnesses. So, she just shook her head and squared her shoulders before she whispered. "I know you just want to know if I've heard anything about him potentially being a Death Eater and the only person I've heard talk about that is _you_."

"You've heard nothing else? What did he say in class that got you so riled up?"

"I-I made fun of his father, so he brought up Mum and Dad to get even with me. Nothing You-Know-Who related, Harry."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you sure you really want to be asking that question?" Leila placed her hand on her hip and looked at her brother pointedly. She then shook her head before putting the scurvy grass into her cauldron.

"I just need you to be my eyes and ears in the snake pit, Leila."

"What do you want me to do, Harry? Stalk him?" Leila scoffed at the idea but when she looked to her brother he was cautiously nodding his head. "You can't be serious." Harry shrugged one shoulder. "You're actually serious about this."

"If he's a Death Eater…"

"And what if he's not? Have you thought of that, Harry? Putting me through all this pain and torture for nothing? Do you really understand what you're asking of me?"

"Leila, please?"

The Potter girl pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. If only her brother knew what he was actually asking of her. If he knew that she had kissed Draco, he wouldn't be asking this of her. Slowly, she exhaled the breath she had been holding. Rationally speaking, if she never wanted Harry to find out about what had happened, it made sense for her to agree to this. This way whatever happened between her and Draco would stay between her and Draco; not to mention that he had basically given her license to be in Draco's vicinity. "Fine," was all she said before she focused on her potion once again.

When potions was finally over, Leila was exhausted from the day and decided to take a nap in her dormitory until it was time for dinner. She plopped onto her bed and cuddled with Roman, still dressed in her school uniform. It wasn't long before her exhaustion got the better of her and she fell asleep. Her subconscious quickly turned to that all-too-familiar dream that had plagued her since summer. Restless, Leila kicked and muttered in her sleep as she could see a Dark Mark etched onto a pale forearm and a Slytherin ring shimmering in the light. She tightly clutched her pillow as her dream faded into darkness. When she finally came to consciousness, her eyes fluttered open to the sight of Daphne shaking her awake. "You were talking in your sleep, you know."

"Wh-what was I saying?" Leila asked nervously.

"He's only a boy." By this point Daphne was seated beside Leila on her bed. "I have to admit, I'm curious; but you don't have time to talk about it." Leila looked at her friend with a puzzled expression on her face. "You have to go to detention."

"What about dinner?"

"You slept through dinner. Draco told me to come get you. He said something about not wanting to get more detentions because you couldn't be bothered to show up."

"What time is it?" Leila slowly stretched as she rolled over to look at her alarm clock. Her eyes widened in alarm noting that she only had five minutes until her detention was supposed to begin. She cursed under her breath as she rolled out of bed before trying to run out of her dormitory. Leila didn't make it far because she tripped over Daphne's foot and crashed to the floor. "Snape's going to kill me," Leila groaned from the floor.

Pushing herself up from the floor, Leila ran out of the Slytherin dungeon and headed for Snape's classroom, not caring about her messy appearance. Her hair was full of bedhead, her clothing was wrinkled and crumpled, and that blasted tie Leila unknotted as she climbed the stairs. By the time she opened the door to Snape's classroom, she was out of breath. She saw Snape sitting at his desk grading papers never looking up and Draco at a desk in the front of the room with his head in his hands. "I'm here," Leila wheezed to get their attention.

"You're late...again," Snape drawled.

"It wasn't on purpose, sir. I-I"

"I don't care whether it was on purpose or not. That will be another detention for the two of you."

"But, sir," Draco argued.

"Don't think I forgot your tardiness this morning, Mr Malfoy. So why don't we add another one."

"You can't give me a detention for _his_ tardiness!" Leila argued.

"Can't I?" Snape narrowed his eyes at Leila who groaned before slumping into a desk in the back. The professor took a deep breath before he sneered, "Miss Potter, join Mr Malfoy at the front desk."

"Do I have to?" Leila whined leaning forward onto the desk. "Isn't this torture enough as it is?"

"Wrong answer. We're now up to five added detentions."

Leila furrowed her brow at Snape's math. "Hang on, but just a minute ago…"

"Potter, shut your mouth. I don't have time to waste having detention with you for you to get us another one," Draco hissed from the front.

"Because clearly I have no one better to spend my time with than you," Leila scoffed sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

"You sure seem to be proving otherwise the way you're racking us up detentions. It's like you're looking for an excuse to spend time with me." By this point Draco was looking over his shoulder at her.

"It's not like I've earned them all on my own, now have I?"

"SILENCE!" Snape shouted. "Potter. Front. Now."

Rather grudgingly, Leila slowly stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. She scowled at Draco who scowled back at her before he turned back toward the front. Not wanting to let Draco think he was getting off easy, she shoved herself into the desk as hard as she could, attempting to push him to the floor. But he must have known she'd do this, because he simply braced himself and Leila seemed to hit a stone wall. She cursed out loud before she began to slap at arm that was closest to her-his left arm.

Leila struck his arm rather viciously causing him to howl in pain. For a moment, Snape's eyes widened; but neither of the teenagers noticed. Leila found it curious that Draco was reacting so strongly. She knew that he could be rather pathetic; but normally when she physically contacted him, he didn't writhe in pain. Draco brought his bandaged right hand to his left arm, clutching it tightly, causing Leila to gasp. It wasn't the fact that Madam Pomfrey had spoken true about Draco's injury that shocked her...it was the sight of his Slytherin ring. A ring she had dreamed about not even an hour before. She looked to his face to see his pained expression before she furrowed her brow. Even the scene seemed oddly familiar. A ringed hand clutching a left arm. But Leila refused to admit that Harry might be onto something.

"What are you looking at?" Draco hissed, startling Leila.

"N-nothing," Leila whispered. "Nothing at all." She then tucked her rather unruly hair behind her ears before she turned to face Snape who stood there with an annoyed expression and stance.

"Are you two quite done?" Snape drawled.

Leila looked to Draco who rolled his eyes and nodded his head as he still lay somewhat doubled over onto the desk, clutching his arm. She then looked to Snape with her bright emerald eyes before she slowly nodded. Leila took a gulp of air before she spoke, "What are doing for detention this evening?" It was obvious she was trying to change the subject; but for once, Snape seemed to go with it.

"The younger Mr Creevey decided it was more important to play with his wand during my class than to pay attention. You two will be cleaning up his mess. Without magic."

Both Draco and Leila looked at Snape as if the punishment were unfair; but knowing that Snape wasn't going to change his mind the two teenagers surveyed the room. The right side of the classroom, near the spot where Leila had kissed Draco, was badly scorched and charred. Leila wasn't sure how she missed the looming burnt smell that hovered in the air and even Draco slightly raised his nose in disgust while Leila scrunched hers.

"Wands," Snape said, holding his hands out in front of him. With a sigh, Leila pulled her wand from her robe and put it in Snape's hand. Draco looked rather hesitant to give up his wand. He groaned in frustration before he put his wand in Snape's other hand. "There will be no fighting or I will add to your never ending list of detentions. So behave. And Potter, fix that tie."

With that, Snape turned on his heel before walking out into the corridor, his cloak billowing behind him. The door slammed shut behind him and there was a faint clicking noise. It sounded like he was locking the two of them in. Leila sighed before she looked over to Draco who sat rigidly beside her, looking rather deep in thought. Her gaze then looked underneath the balcony, where they had...well, anyway, there were buckets of water and rags in that place. She cleared her throat. "So, now what?"

Draco then turned toward her with a rather cold expression. "You leave me alone, we don't talk, and we pretend we got along the entire time. But you're cleaning more because you're so insufferable." He suddenly stood up and walked over to the buckets before Leila could argue with him. Standing over the bucket, he pushed it with his foot before muttering, "This is servant's work."

With a sigh, Leila followed Draco over to the buckets. He was now down on his haunches, beside the bucket with a scowl on his face. Leila followed suit and sat down on the floor on the opposite side of the bucket. They both reached for a rag at the same time and their eyes met as their hands accidentally brushed against each others. Leila's heart skipped a beat but Draco only rolled his eyes and shook his head as he noticed her untied tie hung around her neck. "Are you going to tie that or not?"

"Not," Leila answered lightly. She could see Draco narrowing his eyes at her so, she furthered. "I still can't tie the damn thing. I need someone else to do it for me."

"Hand it here. I don't want to get _another_ detention because you can't tie a blasted tie."

"No."

"Just give me the bloody tie." He was obviously getting frustrated with her at this point. He knew just how stubborn she could be.

"No." Leila too was growing frustrated with him. She watched as his face contort because he was annoyed. Despite not wanting to, Draco and Leila knew each other fairly well and always seemed to make a regular habit in trying to annoy the other.

Draco's hand snaked out and grabbed hold of her tie from the left side of her neck; but Leila tightly held onto the right side of the tie. The two seemed to fight in a tug-o-war over the tie until they both fell forward over the bucket so that their foreheads touched and they were looking into each other's eyes. Leila bit her bottom lip, almost hoping he was going to kiss her, as her emerald eyes searched his icy ones. She wanted him to kiss her and that thought sent tingles up her spine. For a moment, Draco didn't make any sign of movement and he just watched Leila. Leila's breath hitched and Draco took that as his cue to steal Leila's tie from her before he backed away from her.

He sat down and put Leila's tie around his neck muttering to himself. Leila released a disappointed sigh before she sat back and watched Draco tying her tie. He must think she was pathetic not being able to tie a tie after nearly six years. When it was tied, he loosened it from his neck, removed it, and handed it toward Leila without even looking at her. Leila accepted her tie back before whispering, "Thank you."

Instead of saying anything to her, Draco reached for a rag against and thrust it into the water with a sneer on his face. He then stood up before walking over to a charred desk and roughly began scrubbing it, muttering to himself. Leila gently put her tie back over her neck before she sat there watching him clean. If she was truly honest with herself, she had to admit that he was rather handsome and that, for some reason beyond her reasoning, she was drawn to him. He turned to look at her when he noticed her staring at him. For a moment, he appeared to compose himself before he bitterly spoke. "I'm not doing this by myself, Potter. So grab a rag and get started."

"And what if I don't?" Leila found herself questioning him.

"Why must you be so stubborn? You always do the exact opposite of what I want."

"I do not. You don't know a damn thing about me."

"Then quit acting like you know everything about me."

"What the bloody hell is your problem?"

" _My_ problem? You. You're the one who won't leave things bloody well alone." By this point, Draco was standing near the bucket again. He dropped his rag in the bucket and tossed another one at Leila without even looking at her. "Get going."

Leila sighed before she grabbed the rag and moved to the desk beside the one he was cleaning. Draco picked up his rag before he began to scrub the desk again. He faced her as he cleaned and every now and then they would make eye contact before they would both look away and scrub again. After the third awkward eye contact, Leila stood up and leaned over the desk and looked at him. "I'm sorry for figuring that that you might like some company. Especially since you don't really have any friends."

"I have friends," Draco scoffed as he stood up and leaned over the desk he was cleaning, facing Leila. He slammed his rag down to the desk.

"People who only do what you ask because they're scared of you don't count as friends."

"I have friends."

"So you've said." Leila cocked an eyebrow at him. Draco rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back to the charred desks.

Draco moved on to another desk to scrub as Leila moved back to the bucket to wring out her rag. Leila looked back at Draco over his shoulder, but he didn't look back at her, which made Leila's heart pang. With a sigh she went back to scrubbing the charred desks. The pair continued to clean the desks in silence before moving to the blackened wall. Being the arse he was, Draco purposely divided the wall so that Leila had to clean ¾ of it. As Leila scrubbed at the wall, she looked over at Draco who was still scrubbing with an annoyed expression. "How long are you planning on ignoring me?"

Draco looked over at Leila before he turned back toward the wall. Leila could have sworn that she heard him mutter forever which made her sigh. She watched as Draco took a step back from the wall and frustratingly ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe she was building up this thing between her and Malfoy in her head. Despite what had happened this morning, it was obvious that he wanted nothing to do with her. Maybe the fact that she hadn't wanted him when she was younger was what had attracted him and now that she suddenly was interested...She sighed before she looked up to him again. He brushed his hair away from his face before he sat down at one of the desks. He was obviously done cleaning for the evening.

Leila sighed as he continued to scrub the wall while Draco pulled a green apple out of his robe pocket and began to eat it. A green apple. Everything about the Amortentia pointed toward him; but everything Draco was doing seemed contradictory. Leila put her frustration into her scrubbing. What exactly did she want to come of the situation? Did she really want him to be her boyfriend? The very thought seemed ridiculous, especially given who her brother was. She did rather enjoy snogging him though. It was much more enjoyable this morning than either experience fourth year. But her thoughts kept turning back to her brother. Harry seemed to be in the way no matter what choice she made.

The sound of the lock clicking on the door caused Leila to turn and Draco to walk back over to the bucket. Seconds later, Snape entered the room, his eyes scanning the two teenagers. "It appears you two haven't killed each other...yet." Neither Draco nor Leila said anything, so Snape continued. "You're excused...until tomorrow evening." The professor handed them their wands back before he curtly nodded as a signal for them to leave.

"Thank Merlin," Leila muttered before she stood up and began walking toward the door. It almost seemed like she was in a race with Draco for who would get there first; but Draco had the longer stride. She started running to catch up with him, but he easily reached the door first. Draco swung the door open just enough for him to pass through, so Leila had to pull on the door to open it again. "Arse," she muttered.

In the distance, the clock began to chime and Leila knew that it was time for her rounds with Draco to begin. He didn't even turn around to look at her, he just kept walking; which angered her slightly. But she was distracted from her anger by the sound of her stomach growling. Obviously, she was hungry from having skipped dinner. She looked down at her stomach and missed the fact that Draco turned around to look at her for a moment. When she looked up at him, he was leaning against a wall, staring at the other wall with an annoyed expression on his face. He was clearly waiting for her so that they could start their rounds; but Leila concluded she had enough of Draco for the evening, so she turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction.

For a moment, Draco stood there stunned that she was walking away from him. He called her by her surname, but she didn't listen to him. She just kept walking away from. Annoyed by this, he stomped after her. "Where exactly do you think you're going?" Knowing that Leila was every bit as stubborn as he was, he wasn't too surprised when she said nothing and kept walking. "We have rounds you know! And I'm not doing them by myself this time!"

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from you," Leila scoffed without turning around to look at him. "I'm only doing as you asked."

"Well, I'm telling you that we have rounds to do and they go faster when you don't have to do them on your own. I have things I need to do when they're over."

"Well, _I'm_ telling you that I'm hungry. So do the bloody rounds on your own or wait until I'm done eating."

Draco muttered something to himself before he ran to catch up with her. Leila was surprised by his action, she hadn't been expecting him to run after her after the way their evening had gone. But Leila was still miffed at him, so she tried to walk faster so that he couldn't catch up with her; but again his damn long stride made it easy for him to catch up to her. When he was in step beside her, Leila tried to ignore him; but he caught her completely off-guard by initiating a conversation with her.

"And where exactly do you expect to get food at this hour?" He asked. "It's not like you can just make food appear, it's common knowledge."

"The kitchen," Leila scoffed as if it should be obvious. "You know, it's where the food comes from because you're not the only one who knows Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration."

"The kitchen? You know where the bloody kitchen is?"

"You _don't_ know where the bloody kitchen is?" Draco stopped walking, so Leila stopped to look at him over her shoulder. She was met with his cold facade, so she threw her hands in the air in exasperation before she walked away from him again. A few moments later, he continued to follow her. Leila rolled her eyes, "You do realize you're the one following _me_ now."

"I'm not following _you_ ," Draco scoffed. "If we patrol this now we won't have to do it later."

He always had an excuse for everything, which annoyed Leila to no end. So with a groan, she stomped forward toward the portrait of a bowl of fruit which hung on the stone wall, seemingly out-of-place, yet not. Stopping in front of the portrait, Leila folded her arms across her chest and turned toward Draco who was stopped beside her. "Turn around," Leila said coldly.

"Why?" Was the response Leila knew she was going to get, but she still wasn't pleased with.

Leila raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to defy her before speaking. "You could always finish the patrol on your own." Draco narrowed his eyes at her before he reluctantly turned around, muttering under his breath. Leila couldn't help but look at him in confusion. She had given him plenty of opportunities to leave, yet, as adamant as he had been about staying away from her, he was still here beside her. The Potter girl sighed before she turned her back toward him so that he couldn't see her tickle the pear on the portrait and know how to get the doorknob to appear.

She twisted the doorknob and opened the door before turning back to Draco who still stood with his back to her and his hands shoved in his pockets. "Coming, Ferret?"

"Don't call me that," Draco groaned as he turned toward her.

"What? Ferret?" By this point Leila couldn't help but smirk as Draco rolled his eyes as he walked past her and through the door he had never seen before. Leila watched him as he curiously looked around at his new surroundings. Leila followed him inside and looked over at him before commenting. "It's like you've never seen a kitchen before. Then again, that wouldn't really surprise me."

Draco didn't get a chance to respond because they were interrupted by a certain house elf they were both familiar with: Dobby. The second he noticed her, Dobby ran toward Leila, atop the table running down the kitchen, with a big grin on his face that practically spread from ear to ear. "Miss Leila! Miss Leila!"

"Dobby?" Draco whispered before looking to Leila who was softly smiling at the house elf in question. "What's he doing here?"

When Dobby noticed Draco he came to a screeching halt and curiously eyed the boy. "Dobby could ask the same question. Dobby wonders why Miss Leila bring Master Draco."

"Sorry, Dobby," Leila apologized. "I was only hoping for some food; but I can get rid of him if you'd like."

Draco looked at her incredulously as Dobby eyed him once again. Dobby looked at the Malfoy boy, who had once been his master, from head to toe before turning toward Leila. "Anything for Miss Leila but Master Draco better behave or Dobby tell _stories_." Draco's eyes widened in slight terror at the house elf in front of him while Dobby continued to glance suspiciously at Draco. Leila couldn't help but laugh at the exchange before she gently patted Dobby on the head and the house elf walked away with a smile on his face.

Leila walked over to the table in the kitchen and sat down. Draco followed slowly behind her before sitting across from her at the table. He gingerly sat down as if he were expecting something terrible to happen; but whatever he was expecting never happened. So, he seemed to relax a bit before he turned to Leila. His expression was pure curiosity, an expression Leila hadn't seen on his face in quite some time. "What?" Leila asked.

"How long have you known Dobby?" Draco responded.

"Summer before second year, he was stealing my mail. For a while there I thought _you_ were having him steal it; but it turned out he was doing it on his own."

"Why would you think it was me?"

"Do you remember how annoying you were first year?" Leila pulled her hair behind her ears. "Not that much has changed, of course."

"Why was he stealing your mail?"

Leila rolled her eyes. For wanting her to leave him alone, he was sure asking an awful lot of question. "He was trying to keep Harry and I from returning to Hogwarts. Almost managed it too, closing the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ before Harry, Ron, and I could get through."

"And then you three flew that bloody car," Draco said shaking his head. Leila was surprised that he remembered.

"I was coerced," Leila said rather stiffly before she sat up a little straighter and folded her arms. "But that didn't keep me from getting any detentions."

"Why-why was Dobby trying to keep you from Hogwarts?"

"He knew of the plan to open the Chamber of Secrets again. Overheard your father talking about it, maybe even carrying out orders on his behalf about it. Dobby just wanted to keep Harry and I safe."

"My father wouldn't have seen harm come to you." Draco said softly before he looked at Leila rather innocently. "He-he knew." Leila mouthed the word _oh_ before Draco slowly nodded his head. He raked his fingers through his hair before continuing. "What I don't understand is how Dobby managed to do it. He would have disobeyed orders. House elves can't do that."

"He never told us that he belonged to your family. I figured that one out through Daphne. He also never told us what was planned. Just that _terrible things were about to happen at Hogwarts_." Draco slowly breathed as Leila drummed her fingers against the table. She chuckled to herself before she looked over at him again. "Remember that rogue Bludger second year?" Draco nodded his head. "That was Dobby."

Draco shook his head as Dobby walked over with a plate and a goblet that was dripping pumpkin juice. Dobby set what he was carrying in front of Leila before bowing low. Leila smiled and thanked him before Dobby turned toward Draco. The house elf motioned two fingers between his eyes and Draco's...telling Draco that he was watching him. Draco rolled his eyes as Dobby walked away still watching him.

Leila picked up her fork and stabbed at the shepherd's pie in front of her. Draco didn't say anything. Instead, he slouched forward and watched her eat; which unnerved Leial to no end. "Must you watch me?" Leila groaned after she took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"I'm not watching you," Draco scoffed. Leila raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head before taking another bite of her food. Draco groaned before shifting in his seat. "I'm not and hurry up."

"I'm not stopping you from patrolling. You're more than welcome to go on without me."

Draco scowled before he stood up. Leila actually thought he was going to leave and go on without her; but instead, he started walking around the kitchen. Taking another drink of her juice, Leila watched as Draco examined the kitchen up close. When Leila was full, she stood up from the bench and cleared her throat. Draco turned to look at her before he nodded his head and headed for the door. As Leila was about to follow Draco, she looked over her shoulder and thanked Dobby once more before walking out into the corridor.

The Slytherin prefects fell into another awkward silence. On patrol last year, Draco would normally talk her to death; but he appeared deep in thought whenever she looked over at him. Well, either that or he looked angry. Leila found herself looking at him quite frequently, admiring him until they came upon a young couple snogging in an empty corridor. They both stopped and looked to each other. "They're all yours," Leila commented.

Draco groaned before he began to roll up his sleeves. He unbuttoned and rolled-up the right sleeve before moving to the left one. He had it unbuttoned before he quickly stopped himself. Then he buttoned his left sleeve again before fixing the right one. Leila found that somewhat odd; but as long as he was the one taking care of the snogging couple, she wasn't going to question it. Draco walked toward the couple and Leila slowly followed behind him.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Draco drawled. The couple immediately broke apart and looked at Draco with sheer terror in their eyes. Leila tried to hide the smile on her face at the sight of them trying to bargain with Draco to no avail. "Cauldwell, Tsuji-common rooms, now. Or I'll be forced to resort to other measures beside the ten points you lost each of your Houses."

"Ten?" Miyuki Tsuji, the Ravenclaw girl gasped.

"We could always make it twenty," Leila added from the spot where she stood a few feet behind Draco. The couple looked to each other before they scurried from the scene. Leila chuckled as she watched them practically running from her.

Draco sighed and leaned against the stone wall, crossing his legs in front of him. Leila looked to him to find that he was looking at her intensely, which frightened her. She hadn't seen _that_ look in a long time. But when she looked to him again, his expression changed to him looking frustrated and rubbing his temples. Not knowing what exactly was going on with him, Leila took a few steps forward down the corridor. "Why aren't you scared of me?" Draco asked loud enough for her to hear.

Leila came to a sudden halt, quite taken aback. She looked over her shoulder back at him. "Wh-what?" Leila questioned in return.

"This morning, you said you weren't scared of me. Why not?"

Furrowing her brow, Leila took a few steps closer back to him. "Should I be?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why should I be scared of _you_?"

By this point, Draco had closed the distance between them. He grabbed Leila by her shoulders, pulling her towards him. Her breath hitched once again as he seemed to be looking into her eyes for something. "Because I've tried everything I can possibly think of to keep you away and nothing seems to work."

Leila looked up into Draco's eyes and she could practically see the confusion beginning to cloud them. She bit her bottom lip before whispering, "Why do you wish so badly to push me away?"

"I can't be distracted this year, Leila." Draco gently pushed her away from him before he turned his back toward her. He walked toward the wall, leaving her standing there as he rested his forearms against the wall and his head on his arms. Leila could see his shoulders move with every breath he took.

After a moment of silence, Leila sighed and walked toward him. She leaned her back against the wall and crossed her arms, turning her head to look right at him. "It's because I know you care, Draco." He turned to look at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Because when I look in your eyes, I don't see the cold and callused facade you seem to be putting up this year. I see the boy you've always been. The boy who gave me my first...and second kiss. I see a boy who whether he admits it or not, still cares."

"You're seeing things."

"Am I really? Of all the people in this school, how many do you actually give a damn about?"

Draco didn't answer her. Instead he scowled a bit, but he appeared to be mulling over what she had said. With a sigh, Leila looked away from him and rested the back of her head against the wall. Figuring that he wasn't going to say anything, Leila took a step to walk away from him when suddenly his hand snaked out and wrapped around her arm. She turned toward him once more; but she wasn't anticipating his hands to take hold of her cheeks and his mouth to crash onto hers.

Leila gasped before she quickly responded to being kissed by him. Tightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, making it rather impossible for him to get away if he tried. She had been waiting all day for this to happen again and now that it was happening, she could hardly believe it. Draco's kisses were intoxicating, she almost feared that she could never have enough. But what mattered was that _he_ had kissed _her_ and that things were never going to be quite the same again.

* * *

 **Author's note: Draco still cares! I think we all probably knew that, but still. Now, can the two of them figure this thing out? Haha. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/read/favorited/followed my story. Honestly, it means a lot to me. :)**

* * *

~*~Come join in the fun at Leila's tumblr (leilapotter) I make edits, videos, answer questions, that kind of stuff. haha.~*~


	12. There's Always a Flaw

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 12: There's Always a Flaw**

Leila reached up and pressed another kiss against Draco's lips before she slowly pulled away to steady her breathing. She couldn't control the smile on her face as she looked at him. This seemed so wrong, yet it felt so right. Draco rested his forehead against Leila's, looking into her eyes. "What is this?" he asked as he tucked Leila's hair behind her left ear.

"I don't know," Leila whispered back, her emerald eyes shining in the dim light. "But whatever this is, I'm rather enjoying it." She kissed him again, but this time he chuckled, causing her to pull away. "What?"

"You couldn't wait one day before coming back for more."

She knew he was teasing her, but she rolled her eyes before gently punching him in the chest. "Then you must be a bloody saint given how long you've been waiting."

Draco didn't voice a response. Instead, he bent down and kissed Leila hungrily...as if he had been waiting years for this moment to finally come. He left Leila no choice but to kiss him in return, not that she was complaining. Despite all the blokes she had snogged, Draco's kisses seemed different...dare she say, better? Suddenly, Draco's lips broke from hers. She looked up at him with desire burning in her eyes before he began trailing kisses along her jawline. Leila giggled his name until his lips found their way to her neck and he began to nuzzle. She unexpectedly braced her hands on his upper arms and found herself leaning closer toward him.

The sound of shouting down the corridor caused the two Slytherins to break apart as if they had just been caught doing something they shouldn't be doing. They were both breathing rather raggedly as they tried to compose themselves. Without a word, Draco quickly turned on his heel and walked away. Leila turned to follow after him when she heard a familiar voice shout, "Don't talk to me until you've figured it out, Dean." Not expecting to hear Ginny's voice, Leila tripped over an uneven stone on the floor and crashed to the ground with a squeal. "Leila is that you?"

"Bloody hell." Leila looked over her shoulder to see Ginny standing in the corridor watching her. The Potter girl then looked around for any sign of Draco, but he had disappeared. With a frustrated groan, Leila picked herself up and turned toward Ginny. "It's me."

Ginny nodded her head before she walked closer to Leila. When the ginger-haired girl approached the dark-haired girl, the two girls hugged, not having had much time to see each other since term started. It certainly wasn't easy maintaining a friendship with someone in a different year than you, let alone a different House. "What are you doing here?" Ginny questioned.

"I happen to be on patrol." Leila rubbed anxiously at her neck where Draco's lips had been moments before. Not wanting to focus on herself, she changed the tables on Ginny. "I think the better question is what are you doing here?"

"Where's Malfoy, isn't he supposed to be with you?" Ginny looked around the corridor, completely ignoring Leila's question.

"Don't change the subject Ginny. I heard you yelling at _Thomas_."

"His name is Dean." Ginny then rolled her eyes and shook her head before she threw her hands up in exasperation. "Boys can be so temperamental sometimes."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"I wouldn't say trouble…he's just frustrating. But you know how that can be."

Leila furrowed her brow for a moment. Of all the boys she had snogged, she hadn't dated a single one of them. In fact, she was fairly certain she hadn't had a single boyfriend. Ginny looked at her curiously. "Actually, I wouldn't. I haven't dated one. Never got past the snogging part, I guess."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "How many boys have you snogged?"

Leila mulled it over for a moment, counting in her head before looking to Ginny and smirking. "Let's just say Theo wasn't the only one I was...erm...finding comfort in last year."

"Leila Potter, how many?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Obviously, they're not." Ginny started laughing and Leila just rolled her eyes at her Gryffindor friend; but the Weasley girl couldn't stop laughing at her own joke. Leila's face contorted slightly...not in an angry way, but in an _I know we're friends, but you better shut it_ kind of way. This only made Ginny laugh harder.

"Ginny," Leila groaned. Ginny continued to laugh. So, Leila repeated Ginny's name in a long and drawn-out manner. " _Giiiiinnnnnnyyyyy_."

"I'll stop. I'll stop." Ginny put her hand over to her mouth to subdue the laughter attempting to escape.

"You'd better. Or I'll take points from Gryffindor for you wandering the corridors at this time of night. Maybe I'll even take some from Dean Thomas too." Leila had her arms folded across her chest. She stood there staring at Ginny with an eyebrow raised, daring the ginger-haired girl to defy her.

With a slight smile on her face, and completely calm of laughter, Ginny just shook her head at her friend. "You scare me sometimes, you know that?"

Leila smirked before she shrugged her shoulders. "Exactly as it should be. Now, let's get you back to Gryffindor Tower before _I_ get in trouble for not getting _you_ in trouble for wandering the corridors at this hour." Leila looped her arm through Ginny's and the two girls walked down the corridor together.

Neither girl had been aware of Draco, who had rounded a corner after he had run away. He had stayed there, pressing his body tightly against the stone wall. He had originally intended on heading for the Room of Requirement, but truth be told, he wanted to know how Leila was going to handle the situation. A situation that they shouldn't be in. Why couldn't he have just left well enough alone? He _had_ to go and kiss her back. Of all the stupid things he had done, that was probably toward the top of the bloody list. It would have been better for him to have ignored his feelings. It would have been better for _them_ if he had ignored his feelings. But there was something about Leila Potter that got him every damn time.

Draco slowly drummed his fingers against the cool wall as the sound of Leila and the Weasley girl's voice grew fainter. He breathed heavily. This certainly complicated matters….matters that he shouldn't have allowed to rear their ugly heads. He wasn't even sure that he wanted anything with Leila. Especially not after...He pounded his bandaged hand into the wall, causing pain to shoot up his arm. He winced at the pain before he rubbed his injured hand in his other hand. Absently, he twisted the Slytherin ring on his finger, deep in thought, calculating his next move.

The only thing he could come up with was a temporary reprieve. So, Draco skulked up to the Room of Requirement. Wanting to focus on his mission, he concluded it was the best place to seek refuge; but his thoughts seemed to determined to focus on Leila. In frustration, Draco rubbed at his face as if he were trying to rub away any thoughts of her; but it didn't work. Instead, he looked at his surroundings and was immediately reminded of a scene that had taken place between the two of them in this very same spot last year.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 5th Year~*~**_

 _Draco fiddled with his Inquisitorial Squad badge that was pinned to his robes before he began to nervously tap his foot against the floor. He knew he ought not to be there...that what he was about to do could ruin everything; but he couldn't let Leila fall into the trap that was already set. He knew she already had a rough go at things this year after everything that happened last year. Granted, he had already saved her arse multiple times this year; but what was one more time?_

 _He slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding when he heard Leila's giggle come from down the corridor. While it was good to hear her somewhat happy again he couldn't help but feel jealous that he wasn't the one making her happy. His day would come. He was sure of that. Although, that thought was fleeting as he saw Leila walking toward him beside Fred Weasley. He scowled at the sight of seeing them smiling and laughing as they walked side by side._

 _It seemed like Leila was going to walk right by him without even a glance his direction. So, Draco moved to block her path. She tried to follow Fred and go around him, but he side-stepped her. Leila didn't say anything to him right away, but he could tell she was frustrated from the over exaggerated huffs she directed toward him._

" _Malfoy, bugger off," Fred said trying to put himself between Leila and Draco. "Can't you see she doesn't want anything to do with you?"_

" _It will only take a minute," Draco drawled._

" _You're mental if you think…"_

" _Go on, Fred," Leila sighed interrupting him. Fred looked at Leila incredulously, as if he couldn't believe what she had just agreed to; but she just looked at the floor with a somewhat sullen expression on her face. "He won't leave us alone until I listen to him. You and I both know that."_

" _But Leila…" Fred tried to plead with her, but Draco put his hand up and pushed him away from the situation._

" _You heard her, Weasley, bugger off," Draco sneered. Leila gave an exasperated sigh and looked up at Draco as Fred began to walk away. The Weasley boy looked over his shoulder as he left Leila alone with Malfoy._

 _Fred was no more than a few yards away when Leila snapped, "What do you want?"_

 _Draco moved to grab her arm to usher her away from where they were standing, but she immediately recoiled and stood there limply. "Leila, c'mon."_

" _Just spit it out and get it over with."_

 _The Slytherin boy looked over his shoulder to see that the Weasley boy should be out of earshot; but he still dropped his voice to a forceful whisper. "Whatever it is you're about to do. Don't do it."_

 _A puzzled scowl spread over Leila's face. "Are you threatening me?"_

" _No." Draco was almost offended she asked that and in that one word he voiced his frustration; but he took a deep breath before he continued. "I'm trying to save you, Leila. Don't go in there. If you go, I can't save you this time."_

" _Why do you think you always need to save me?"_

" _Where have you been the past year? I've lost count of how many times I've saved your arse from Umbridge alone."_

" _I never asked you to." Draco wanted to tell her that she didn't have to ask him; but for once he kept his mouth shut. Leila tugged anxiously at her braid. "What do you have planned?"_

" _You know I can't tell you. Just go back to the common room and Umbridge will be none the wiser."_

" _About what?" Leila was playing coy, but Draco knew better._

" _You know what."_

" _I-I…" Leila looked between Fred and Draco. While she really didn't want to subject herself to Draco...she really didn't want to face punishment from Umbridge. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Whatever was about to happen, it was enough to have Draco worried about her. She knew she was probably going to hate herself for this, but Leila looked at Draco and slowly nodded her head. "Alright. I-I'll go."_

" _Thank, Merlin." Draco placed his hands on Leila's arms to gently turn her in the other direction._

 _But Draco's relief was short lived. Leila had no more than taken a few steps away when Harry rounded the corner and walked down the corridor toward them with Ron. "Malfoy, get your hands off my sister!" Harry bellowed as he ran toward Leila. He tugged Leila away from Malfoy and the girl nearly lost her balance in the tug-o-war._

" _Harry, I-I...well, Malfoy and I have to...patrol. Something about schedules getting switched," Leila lied to her brother; but Harry could read through the lie._

" _You don't have to lie for a piece of scum like him." Leila looked at Draco's reaction to Harry's words and she almost felt bad for him. If Harry knew that he was trying to save her...but Harry would never believe such a thing. He then tugged at her arm. "Let's go, Leils."_

" _Yeah, Leila, let's go," Ron added._

 _Leila looked between Draco and Harry as Fred began to walk toward the situation. "Leila's perfectly capable of making her own decisions," Draco hissed. "Let her decide, Scarhead."_

 _Her breathing began to grow more rapid, but before she could say anything Harry added, "You'd choose him over us?"_

" _Of course not," Leila said quickly and she could swear she saw Draco's expression sadden for a moment before he put the facade back up. She then found herself being pulled down the corridor with her brother and Ron. Leila looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with Draco before she mouthed. "Sorry."_

 _Draco simply shook his head and kicked at the ground before muttered, "Just not sorry enough." He then turned his back on the group and walked toward his position, talking to himself. "It didn't have to be like this, Leila. I hope you remember that."_

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Back in the present Draco exhaled. Leila had gotten in trouble that day when Umbridge finally caught them. Draco had made sure to go after Harry after the position he had put his sister into; but Leila had made her choice-even if it had been the one forced on her. Leila had chosen her brother. Leila would always choose her brother. Just like she had the night that had gotten his father carted off to Azkaban.

When he finally made his way into the Room of Requirement, the first thing Draco did was collapse on an old armchair. He had just messed things up royally. There was no possible way he could make things with Leila work. As he had concluded a few minutes before, she would choose her brother and if she knew what he was up to, she would most certainly chose her brother. Yet, he had given into her. He shouldn't have done that. Then again, he had processed that much already; but the thoughts wouldn't leave his head.

Trying to distract himself, Draco walked over to the Vanishing Cabinet. He ran his fingers against its cool wood. He had spent the last week trying a simple mending charm to repair it; but it hadn't been of any use. Draco's heart sank. He had hoped this would be an easy task. He was a more-than-capable wizard for his age. If it wasn't for Granger he would probably be at the top of his class...or at least only behind Leila. It was an embarrassment to place behind a Mudblood. But alas, the task wasn't going to be an easy one. Even _he_ knew that the Dark Lord was punishing his family by forcing him into this task; but at the same time, he knew it was an honor to be chosen by the Dark Lord. What he just couldn't wrap his mind around was how Leila Potter could fit into this.

Dammit. Draco slapped the Vanishing Cabinet. He had allowed his thoughts to wander and they went back to her. He knew they shouldn't; but they always did. It certainly wasn't easy to try and stay away from her. He had spent practically his entire life infatuated with her; but right now was the one time where that infatuation could get him into trouble.

In his frustration, Draco rested his head against the cabinet and closed his eyes. He tried to focus on what Borgin told him to do. He had to remember. It wasn't as if he could send a letter to the man. Hogwarts was checking their mail. His mother had sent him a box of sweets at the end of last week and it was obvious that the package had been rifled through. Draco hadn't the heart for the sweets, so he had carelessly tossed the box into his trunk. With his family name, he was an easy target. He just hoped no one caught on to him, because he wasn't sure what was worse: being caught or failing the Dark Lord.

After an agonizing hour of having his thoughts interrupted by Leila Potter, Draco finally headed back to the Slytherin dungeon. He was caught off guard when he found Leila sitting in the common room talking with Daphne Greengrass, Flora Carrow, and Hestia Carrow. But what was even worse was the smile of delight on Leila's face when she saw him. He also watched her attempt to hide that beautiful smile; but he refused to make eye contact with her. Instead, he simply stared straight ahead at the wall as he descended the stairs.

Leila must have anticipated that he was going to walk by them without saying anything, because he heard her excuse herself from her friends. So, Draco attempted to walk faster and get to his dormitory before she could catch up to him. But unlike the trek to the girls' dormitories, there was no enchantment to prevent Leila from following after him. He had barely made it into the section for the boys' dormitories when Leila's hand snaked around his arm. He attempted to yank his arm away from her; but she gently released his arm, which surprised him to the point that he looked back her. He had to admit that she looked beautiful standing there, wringing her hands, clearly nervous and unsure what she wanted to say to him. How long had he hoped for such a scene to play out? But it didn't really matter now, because it wasn't a scene that _should_ play out. He sighed. "Yes?" Draco drawled.

"Draco, I-I think we need to talk," Leila whispered. Her emerald eyes glittered in the light as she looked up at him with a half-smile on her face. Looking at her like this made Draco's heart thump a little harder; but he had to ignore what his heart wanted. Because in that moment, part of him wanted nothing more than to snog her again; but his head told him such things shouldn't happen.

"I was just about to head to bed."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out after I followed you in here." Leila blushed and cast her glance at the floor for a moment. She pulled her hair behind her ears before she looked back up at him. "Later?"

Draco curtly nodded his head. "I'll come to you." It almost hurt to see the small smile that began to play across Leila's face because he had no intentions of finding her to talk about this. No. He planned on avoiding her at all costs. He was just going to have to try harder than ever because they could never happen. He refused to look back at her as he walked away knowing that he would betray himself if he did.

Instead, Draco continued to walk until he reached the sixth year boys' dormitory. He was surprised to find the room empty. Perhaps, the others were in the common room; but he just hadn't noticed them because he had been too focused on Leila. His hands balled into fists. What he needed to do what just forget about Leila; but after those kisses, the task seemed insurmountable. Draco crossed the room and walked over to his bed before he pulled the emerald bed hangings back.

He practically jumped out of his skin when he was greeted by a visitor in his bed...again. "Really? You again?" Draco hissed at the black cat that had recently taken an interest in him... _Leila's cat_. Roman looked up at Draco almost with the same innocent eyes Leila had a few minutes before; but he tried to hold his ground. "Go. Leave." The blonde haired boy pointed toward the door; but Roman must have been every bit as stubborn as his owner, because the cat just simply sat there and stared at him. "I said go."

Roman meowed before he stood up on all four legs. Draco breathed a sigh of relief because he thought the cat was actually going to listen to him; but Roman had a mind of his own. Instead, the cat walked up to Draco's pillow and pawed at it to make himself comfortable before he plopped down onto it. Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "You're as bad as she is," he muttered. Roman meowed again.

After he had changed into his pajamas, Draco looked over his shoulder to make sure there was no one watching him before he crawled into his bed and closed the hangings. He would never admit it out loud, but he was actually rather glad for the company of Leila's cat; but that didn't stop him from picking Roman up from his pillow and placing him on the floor. Although, by the time Draco had laid his head on his pillow, Roman had already jumped back up onto his bed. "Bloody cat." Roman then cautiously crept on the bed until he plopped himself on Draco's chest and nestled his head in the crook between Draco's neck and shoulder. With a sigh, the blonde-haired boy reached up and stroked the cat behind the ears causing the creature to begin to purr. "When did you start liking me?" Draco mumbled. With a sigh, Draco's eyes fluttered shut and he was soon asleep.

He tossed and turned through the night as images flashed through his head and his breathing began to grow ragged. _Wherever he was, it was dark. The only light he could see was the twinkling of the stars out the window. There were two voices speaking in low, hushed, and muffled tones. The voices seemed so familiar, but he couldn't place them. The only words he could understand were: "...his moral compass." Suddenly, a pair of emerald eyes and a Slytherin ring on a necklace flashed before him. Then everything went dark._

Draco awoke gasping for air, clutching at his pillow. The room was dark and he reached for his wand, so he could see. Opening his bed hangings a crack, Draco noticed that his roommates were all asleep and Roman had mysteriously disappeared. He quickly closed the curtains before he sat with his back against the headboard. That dream seemed so real; but had to be only a dream...only a dream.

For nearly three days, Draco managed to evade Leila. Well...at least the conversation he had _promised_ to have with her. Thankfully, Snape hadn't left them alone for their past two detentions, but that didn't stop him from adding more detentions to their sentence. It was becoming ridiculous. Snape knew of his mission. Snape should have been doing everything in his power to keep him from getting detention and yet the idiot was the one giving him detentions. It was as if the man _wanted_ him to die…or so it seemed, ever since his former favorite professor had taken his father's place as the Dark Lord's right hand, he hated Snape.

It was obvious Leila was frustrated with him for avoiding her. She tried not to let it show, but Draco knew her well enough to know that she was trying to play things cool when on the inside she was annoyed. To be honest, he himself was annoyed with the situation as well; but there wasn't really a good way out of it. So, instead, he tried to avoid looking across the greenhouse at Leila who had partnered herself with Neville Longbottom for Herbology. Part of him felt that if he couldn't have Leila, then no one else could...even if that person wasn't really a threat, like Longbottom. The only problem with this logic was that _he_ was the one stopping himself from having Leila. He could practically hear his mother's words repeating in his head...to not let the Potter girl get in the way. Mother knows best, right? He had already given in once to desire and it was proving to be detrimental to his cause. There had to be a better way to deal with it all.

Pansy rested her hand on his arm and Leila didn't miss the interaction. Draco watched as her expression hardened until he shook Pansy's hand from his arm. Pansy looked at him quite puzzled, but Leila didn't even look up. Instead she wrote furiously on the parchment in front of her as Longbottom dictated something to her. Not wanting to be forced to watch what he couldn't have, Draco rubbed his face before he stood up and walked to the other side of his table so that his back was to Leila. He thought that maybe it would get easier, but it wasn't. The desire for her still burned strongly within him; but he had to ignore it.

Finally, the bloody class ended and he could escape to the refuge of the Room of Requirement. He made sure no one was following him before he trekked through the castle. The other Hogwarts students should be headed to the Great Hall for lunch, giving him time alone. Time away from _her_. He could barely stand to be around her without her totally consuming his thoughts and then the inner turmoil raged on in his head. He was quite exhausted from the battle between his heart and his head that raged within him.

Once inside the Room of Requirement, Draco dropped his book bag near the door before he pulled a green apple from his robe pocket. He had pocketed it at breakfast and another lay in his bag. If only he knew how to get in the bloody kitchen like Leila, he wouldn't have to resort to such pathetic meals. He had tried to figure out how to get in last night, but nothing he tried seemed to work and there was no way in hell he was going to ask her how to get in.

Draco sat down on a piano bench hunched over, eating his apple. His eyes looked to the Vanishing Cabinet no more than few feet away from him and he exhaled. He needed to come up with a better plan...a way for him to not be so distracted. Leaning back, he accidentally frightened himself by resting his elbow on the keys of the piano, causing them to make a tinny, out-of-tune sound. He quickly looked around the room in a panic before he realized his folly. His eyes scrutinized the mangled ivory keys. Mother had taught him how to play when he was younger, but he had never kept up with it. Slowly, he reached his fingers out before he pressed down on one of the keys. The sound was terrible, but yet he pressed another and another before he rested both arms on the piano, playing every note beneath them. His head then rested on his arms as he contemplated what the hell he was going to do.

If only he could get rid of her; but there was no way he'd ever be able to do that. He'd never be able to actually harm her. Even his attempts at hexing her during their duel in the common room had been fairly pathetic attempts on his part...not to mention that they wouldn't have done her much harm anyway. But that had been before she had kissed him. Now, he was doomed. Draco lifted his head before slamming it against his arms, causing the piano to sound. There had to be a way that he could just...forget about her.

That was it! A memory charm! He could perform one on himself and be rid of any memory he had of her...the years of pining after her, of chasing her around...they could all be gone. Draco pulled his wand out of his robe before he closed his eyes and moved to press his wand to his temple. He breathed slowly concentrating on his breathing. Memory charms were very difficult and only a skilled wizard should even think about attempting them; but he didn't really have a choice. He sat there with his wand still aimed, his hand quivering. It was obvious he was hesitating. The charm could backfire on him and he would be worse off than he started. Draco tore his wand away from his head and it flung out of his hand before rolling across the room.

With a groan, Draco pushed himself into a standing position using the piano. The tinny sounds resounded through the room as he walked across the room to the spot where his wand lay. It had rolled underneath a chest of drawers. Draco swore before he got down on his hands and knees to reach for his wand; but his arm didn't reach far enough under the damn thing. Angrily, Draco stood back up and maneuvered the heavy chest of drawers out of the way so he could finally pick up his bloody wand. He was surprised that behind the chest of drawers his wand lay beside a pensieve.

Draco bent down and picked up his wand before he stood up at stared at the pensieve. His father had one of these in his study back at Malfoy Manor, so he knew what they were used for...memories. Draco's fingers ran along the smooth silver edge of the bowl as he slowly breathed in and exhaled out. While he couldn't make himself forget out her, he could extract his memories containing her and place them in the pensieve. It would serve as a physical reminder that he needed to cast her aside like he was going to do to these memories. With a sigh, Draco once again pressed his wand to his head and he began extracting any and every memory of Leila he could remember.

Many hours later, Draco finally exited the Room of Requirement. It was well past dinner time. In fact, it was already quite dark outside. So, Draco headed in the direction of the Slytherin dungeon. Draco took the most unusual route and back staircases so that he wouldn't be caught by anyone. He descended a spiral staircase only to find a figure waiting at the bottom of it. "Bloody hell," Draco muttered.

"Thought I might find you here, Mr Malfoy," Snape drawled slowly. Draco looked up at his professor and sneered. He tried to turn around to walk away, but Snape's hand reached out and grabbed the hood of Draco's robe. "Not so fast, Draco."

"Let me go," Draco hissed turning to face Snape once again.

"Hardly two weeks into term and you're already getting careless."

"What's it to you?"

"You missed my detention."

"Detention I shouldn't have in the first place."

"You more than earned it, Draco."

"But you _know…"_

"I'll tell you what I know, Draco. You better smarten up or you'll find yourself face to face with Dumbledore being forced to answer questions you ought not to be answering." Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head, not making eye contact with Snape. "I also know that you and Miss Potter will be serving _double_ detention tomorrow night to make up for the one you _forgot_ tonight." Draco scoffed, but made no further attempt to argue with his professor. "I'll see you tomorrow. You best get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be a long night."

With that Snape disappeared into the shadows and Draco begrudgingly finished his trek to the Slytherin dungeon.

The next evening at about eight o'clock, Draco found himself slowly walking toward Snape's classroom for the detention he didn't not wish to serve. He looked outside as he passed a window. It was raining. Hopefully, Snape didn't plan on them being outside for detention. As Draco drew nearer to the classroom he heard a sweet-sounding humming echoing through the corridors. A shiver went up Draco's spine listening to the sound. He knew the voice belonged to Leila. If he recalled correctly, she must have just come from choir rehearsal. He couldn't deny that she had a beautiful voice, but he couldn't allow it to affect him. So, he released the breath he had been holding and continued his walk, with his head held high and his shoulders straight.

Draco finally caught up to Leila and was just about to follow her inside when she purposely pulled the door closed behind her. So, she was still pissed. He almost forgot how petty she could be when she was angry. He rolled his eyes before he opened the door and walked into the room before sitting at a desk that was as far away from her as possible. He anxiously drummed his fingers against the desk as they waited for Snape, who took his sweet time to descend the staircase from his office.

"Follow me," was all Snape said before he walked by them both and out of the classroom. Draco looked after Snape and groaned. From what Draco saw in his peripheral vision, Leila wasn't any happier about the situation than he was. So they both followed after Snape, who was waiting for them in the corridor. When Snape caught sight of the both of them, he started a brisk pace down the corridor without saying a word to them. Draco picked up his pace to keep up with the man, but Leila's little legs were no match for either of their paces. She had to run to keep up with the two of them. Snape led them down the twisting and turning corridors and staircases until he came to a halt after opening the doors in the Grand Entrance. The rain was pelting sideways and coming into the castle. The man turned to face the two teenagers. "I have more important matters to attend to this evening than watching you two."

"All of that just to find out we don't have detention?" Leila said out of breath. "Talk about cruel and unusual punishment."

"No, you two still have detention. You will just be serving it with Hagrid this evening. Hand over your wands." Snape held his hand out and both teenagers reluctantly placed their wands in his hand.

"And how exactly are we supposed to get there?" Draco scoffed pointing outside. "It's raining."

"Then you should have thought to bring an umbrella," Snape said flatly. "Now, off you go...both of you." Snape grabbed Draco and Leila each by a shoulder before he pushed them outside into the downpour and shut the door behind them.

Draco spluttered as the rain hit his face. He watched as Leila pulled her hood up over her head before he did the same thing; but that still didn't stop the water from soaking through the fabric. Draco suspected that Snape didn't really have anything else he needed to do. The man just probably wanted to punish them...more specifically: him. Snape knew how he felt about that brainless oaf Hagrid which was why he was probably being banished to spend detention with him out of spite.

Suddenly, Leila took off in a run. Not wanting to be standing in the rain any longer than he had to, Draco followed after her….not because he wanted to catch up with her, but to get out of the bloody rain. It was a fair distance to Hagrid's hut on the grounds and the path was a mess, so Draco began to run in the grass. But as he descended the hill, he slipped on a patch of mud and was sent sliding down the hill on his arse, quickly passing Leila. When she finally reached the bottom of the hill, he still lay on the grass and she stood over him. "Help me up," Draco commanded.

"Maybe later," Leila retorted, throwing his own words back at him before she turned and walked away from him. Draco cursed before he picked himself up and finished the distance to Hagrid's, recalling the first time he accompanied Leila to the place.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 1st Year~*~**_

 _The first year Slytherins sat in the library together working on a Potions essay that Snape had set. They group had decided to work together since the only reason they had the bloody thing was because Granger couldn't keep her mouth shut. Not to mention that Snape never specifically said that they couldn't work on it together. Draco sat near the window, across from Leila. He looked up to see her sitting there with her head in her hands staring at her parchment with a look of disgust. He tuned-out the argument Pansy was having with Blaise as he watched Leila stick her tongue out a bit to think, thinking it was quite adorable when she did that. Draco looked out the window for a moment and was quite puzzled by what he saw: Potter, Granger, and Weasley running down the path to Hagrid's hut in the light of the setting sun._

 _Draco looked back to Leila who was still looking at her parchment painfully. He reached across the table and snapped his fingers in her face, causing her to immediately jolt up and look at him with wide eyes before she scowled at him. "What was that for?" Leila hissed._

" _Look," Draco said pointing out the window. He watched as she rolled her eyes at him before she looked out the window and saw exactly what he had seen. Leila looked at him and shrugged her shoulders; but he wasn't going to drop it. "Where's your brother going?"_

" _Dunno. Why don't you go ask him yourself?"_

" _You're telling me that you're not the least bit curious what he's up to? Especially when we have this essay for Snape due tomorrow."_

 _Leila bit her bottom lip and chewed on it for a moment. Draco could practically see the gears in her head moving; but she answered, "It's none of your concern what I think, Malfoy."_

 _Draco put his hands up, waving the white flag so to speak; but he knew he had gotten to her. He went back to working on his essay when a few minutes later Leila excused herself to use the lavatory. Draco smirked as he watched her walk away, he knew better. If he was right, she was going to go find out what her brother was up to...and he wanted to know too. So without saying anything, Draco stood up and followed Leila out of the library. He quickly followed after her, but he took a shortcut to get to the Grand Entrance before she did. He made there before her with only seconds to spare; but to make it look like he had been there waiting for her, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. The look of shock on Leila's face was enough for him. She blinked slowly at him in disbelief._

" _I knew you wouldn't be able to resist," Draco said, smirking at her. "Now, c'mon."_

 _Leila rolled her eyes at him as he opened the door for her. After she was out the door, Draco followed behind her as they both took off in a sprint toward Hagrid's hut. He had to admit that he was surprised that Leila was easily able to keep up with him, before she ended up overtaking him. He made a mental note to make sure to ask her how she got so good at running as he watched her approach the hut. She stood beneath a window that was closed._

 _Without saying anything, when he reached her, Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her along the hut to hopefully find an open window. He tightly squeezed her hand before he whispered, "I can't believe this oaf gets his own place on the grounds."_

" _He is_ groundskeeper _afterall," Leila retorted as she tried to pull her hand out of Draco's; but his grip on her was too tight. Draco opened his mouth to say something else; but Leila's free hand flew over his mouth before she whispered. "Now shut it or else they'll hear us. And the last thing I need is to get caught with you."_

 _He smirked underneath her hand which caused her to roll her eyes. They finally managed to come to a window that was open and it was just their luck that there were barrels stacked beneath it. The barrels would make it much easier for them to see what was going on inside. Draco reluctantly released Leila's hand and she watched as she wiped her hand on her robe. He then climbed up onto one of the barrels before offering her his hand again to help her up; but she furrowed her brow before helping herself onto another barrel. He watched her struggle for a moment, but if she was going to be stubborn and refuse him, then she would just have to struggle and learn that things would be much easier with him._

 _When they were both situated on their barrels, the two Slytherins peered inside to find Hagrid, Potter, Granger, and Weasley staring at something rather large and somewhat round on the table. "What the…" Draco began, but Leila pushed him down before he could finish his statement. He looked at her with his eyes wide, hardly believing what he just saw. "Do-do you…"_

" _It's a dragon egg," Leila whispered, answering his question before he could even manage to spit it out._

" _How do you know that?"_

" _Just because I was raised by Muggles doesn't make me an idiot, you know." She slightly narrowed her eyes at him. "I read about them in one of the books Cedric gave me."_

" _You sure spend an awful lot of time with Diggory." Draco raised an eyebrow in her direction. He couldn't help but wonder if she saw something in Diggory, but Leila simply rolled her eyes at him. As he was about to say something more, Granger gasped that the bloody thing inside was hatching._

 _They both slowly raised their heads to peer inside the place once again. A young dragon popped out of its shell and began to move about on the table. Draco looked over to Leila whose eyes were practically glued to the dragon. He then looked back and noticed Leila's brother pointing in their direction. His eyes widened in shock before he jumped from his barrel. His hand shot out and grabbed Leila's arm and pulled her down from her barrel, causing her to fall in a heap on the ground. She attempted to fight him, so he took off in a mad dash toward the castle leaving her behind._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

The oaf stood in the doorway with the door open calling for them to come in. Leila quickly climbed the steps and disappeared inside the hut. As much as Draco didn't want to go in there, he also didn't want to be stuck outside in the bone-chilling rain. So, reluctantly, he stomped up the stairs and walked inside. Draco looked around the room, with his nose scrunched in disgust. Not much had changed. Hagrid looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Yeh better wash yer robe in thet bucket then let it dry by the fire," Hagrid said pointing toward a bucket of water in the corner.

Draco looked at the man in utter disbelief before he scoffed,"That's servants work."

"It's either thet or smell like what yeh slipped in and it weren't just mud from the smell of yeh"

The teenage boy grumbled as he took his robe off and thrust it into the bucket with a scowl on his face. He looked up at Leila who was sitting in an oversized armchair that before he looked over to Hagrid who had moved the tea kettle over the fire which was near Leila's drying robe. "Now what?"

"Don't tell me yeh've never had to do the wash before?" Draco didn't say anything as Hagrid chuckled to himself. "Take that scrub brush there and scrub. Thet should about do the trick."

"What about _her_?"

"She didn't slip in the mud, now did she?" Hagrid gave Draco a fake smile. "Would you like some tea, Leila?" Leila nodded her head as she wiped her cold nose with the sleeve of her shirt.

Draco rolled his eyes before he reached for the scrub brush and muttered under his breath about this was why Hogwarts had house elves; but his comments fell on deaf ears. Instead, Hagrid handed Leila a mug of tea and offered her a snack, which she quickly refused. When Draco finished scrubbing his robe, he stood up and held it out for Hagrid to grab. "What do yeh want me to do with it?" Hagrid asked. Draco's jaw jutted out a bit as he stared teh oaf down. "Yeh have arms an' legs, don't yeh?" Hagrid then pointed to the rack where Leila's robe was drying.

After narrowing his eyes at the oaf, Draco shuffled toward the fire and set his robe on the rack. "I'd like some tea," Draco told Hagrid with his arms folded across his chest.

"Sorry, don't have any time fer thet. We have yer detention to get to." Draco's mouth dropped open and Leila laughed at him before she took another sip from her mug of tea.

"What are we doing for detention, Hagrid?" Leila asked sweetly.

"Got some ashwinder eggs thet need to be hatched er frozen for the third years," Hagrid responded.

"I just finished doing what a bloody house elf should have done and now we have to go back out in the rain?" Draco groaned.

Hagrid eyed him. "Didn't say thet, now did I?" Hagrid then pointed to a corner that was somewhat hidden from them.

"Hagrid, you know you're not supposed to have those inside," Leila said. "It's in every Care of Magical Creatures book. Your place could start on fire."

"It's gonna take a lot more than a few ashwinders ter burn this place down," Hagrid chuckled before he walked over to the container. He opened the lid and magical fire flickered from inside the box. "Now, we're gonna freeze 'em fer Professor Slughorn. So they'll need to be stoked 'til they hatch so they lay more eggs an' then we'll freeze those. He's asking fer quite a lot of 'em. So pull up a stool yeh two."

Draco heard Leila sigh before she dragged one of the shorter stools beside the container. He followed suit and pulled up another container. "How long will this take?" Draco grumbled.

"As long as it takes fer them to hatch an' then lay more eggs." Hagrid said as he handed each of the Slytherins a poker. "They only live an hour you know." Draco rolled his eyes. Of course he knew that. He had taken the bloody oaf's class...which was probably one of the many reason's Hagrid was probably sore toward Draco.

Leila shifted on her stool and sighed before she stuck her poker in the container to stoke the eggs. Draco was surprised the place wasn't on fire yet. These things were supposed to ignite a residence within minutes and yet for some reason the place wasn't in ashes yet. Probably because the bloody creatures didn't consider this much of a residence either. Draco stuck his poker in the fire as well and rolled a few of the eggs.

He knew Leila was looking at him, but he just looked down into the fire avoiding her glance as Hagrid crossed to the other side of his hut to do Merlin knows what. "Draco," Leila sighed. "You said we'd talk…" she then lowered her voice and leaned toward him. "About _it."_

"In case you haven't figured it out by now, I don't want to talk about _it_ ," Draco muttered.

"Hey, you're the one that…" Leila looked over her shoulder to make sure that Hagrid wasn't right behind them before continuing, "kissed me _last_."

"And it was a mistake."

Draco could practically feel Leila's anger burning...or was it the magical fire? He knew he probably shouldn't have uttered those words, but maybe if she would leave him alone. Truth be told, he rather enjoyed snogging her...it was the repercussions afterward that he couldn't handle.

Leila didn't talk to him for the remainder of the time they sat there turning the eggs, which turned out to be over two hours before they started hatching. Then for the next hour they had to watch the ashwinders to lay their eggs. Once they were laid, Hagrid would come over and reach in and grab the eggs before putting them in some sort of container that was supposed to freeze them. It was obviously some sort of magical container, but he wasn't about to ask about it.

It was nearly midnight before Draco and Leila began their trek back to the castle. Thankfully, the rain had lightened up a bit and was now just a light drizzle rather than the downpour they had experienced earlier. Draco wished Snape hadn't taken their wands. He of all people knew what could be lurking about..and yet he had allowed the two of them to be without their wands. He almost wondered if Snape was going to kill him before...Draco dropped the thought.

The pair entered the courtyard and Leila began to jump in the puddles. She'd get a little running start before jumping into the puddles, usually managing to splash Draco in the process. After the fourth time, he couldn't take it anymore. "Stop that childish activity," Draco hissed rather sternly as he took a few steps to the left of where he had been standing.

Leila turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes. It was obvious that she didn't like him telling her what to do. It almost scared him when she didn't say anything and started to smirk in his direction. He watched as she took a step backward and he knew that she was going to jump in the puddle again, so he took a step backward. Although, Leila must have known that he was going to step backward because he stepped right into a deluge of rain that came pouring down from the roof. He could hear Leila laughing at his expense as he quickly tried to get out of the run-off, sputtering the water from his face. "You'd better watch it," Draco hissed.

"Oh yeah?" Leila taunted.

"Yeah."

"And what exactly are you going to do about it? You don't have a wand." He looked at her, they were both breathing heavily. He knew he should have just walked away from her and her taunts; but he couldn't just let her get away like that.

So, he ran after her. Leila squealed and began to run from him. He couldn't help but begin to chuckle as she attempted to flee. They both were getting drenched again from the light downfall of rain and the puddles they were running through; but neither really seemed to care. Despite the tension between them, they were both enjoying a rare carefree moment, although they would never admit it. But neither teenager was aware that they were being watched from the clock tower as they continued running around the courtyard for minutes, neither of them seeking refuge inside.

It wasn't until Leila stopped to catch her breath that Draco finally caught up to her. He wrapped his hand around her arm and turned her so that she was facing him. It felt almost like they were connected by some unknown force because in that moment, looking at her, Draco couldn't remember why he was avoiding her. She did that to him, made him forget things and lose all sense of reason. For a moment, the world around them seemed to stop.

"It wasn't a mistake, was it?" Leila said gently looking up at him with shining emerald eyes. Draco didn't say anything, instead he just swallowed hard as Leila ran her fingers through her wet hair to get it out of her face before she looked up at him again with pleading eyes and a coy smile on her face. That smile which never failed to make his heart race. "Are you going to kiss me or not?" She whispered.

Draco's heart continued to race as he looked down at her. He felt his face being drawn toward hers as her face inched closer to his. As euphoric as this felt, reality came crashing down around him and he sharply pulled away. "Not."

"Why?" She hissed at him as she took a step backward, clearly hurt by his words. "It's obvious you still fancy me, Draco...a-and just when I figure out that I might have feelings for you." Leila ran her fingers through her hair before anger began to contort her beautiful face. "Was this all just a game to you? A giant game of cat and mouse? You caught the mouse so now you can kill it?"

"That's not what this is!"

"Then what is it? Because I'm confused as hell, Draco."

He stood stiffly, not looking at her, running his fingers through his wet hair. He paced around her for a moment before he turned to her. As he spoke, his voice somewhat wavered. "I can't do _this_." He motioned his hand between the two of them.

"And why not?" It was obvious from her tone of voice that she was on the verge of tears.

He didn't want to hurt her. He had never actually wanted to hurt her, but he was going to have to. He might as well admit what he had been holding back from even himself. "After everything _you've_ done? All the pain _you've_ caused my family?"

"What happened was nothing personally against you. It-it just happened."

"You got my father locked in Azkaban!" There it was. It was as if she had been waiting for those words to come from his mouth. Leila sighed and took a step away from him, shaking her head.

"I-I didn't mean to do that. You know that I'm not good at rash decision making and that night was a night chock-full of rash decisions. I was just trying to stay alive. That's all."

"If you could do that night over, would you?" Draco looked at her intensely, but in that moment, she faltered. He thought her thoughts on the matter clear, so he shook his head. "I didn't think so." With that Draco sharply turned away, leaving Leila standing in the rain.

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, there's that! For those of you who read the original, you'll remember that none of this was there. For those of you reading for the first time, I like this better but we're slightly in unchartered territory. Don't worry, though, I know where we're headed. :) Thanks to everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed/read this story. Really, your response means the world to me.**

* * *

 _As always, you can interact with me on Leila's tumblr (leilapotter) Also, I have a song for ya'll to check out. Nixdragon found it and it's TOTALLY DREILA! (You and Me by You+Me)_


	13. Your Next Step

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Your Next Step**

Leila awoke the next morning exhausted, despite the fact that she had actually gotten a few hours of sleep. She reached for Roman at the foot of her bed, but was surprised to find that he wasn't there. He had been leaving her quite frequently during the night and she hadn't yet discovered where he was going. Her only clue was that he had apparently visited Malfoy one night, but it was hard to believe that Roman would continue to visit him. _Him_. Leila's thoughts turned to Draco-the reason for her turmoil. She tightly clutched her pillow and buried her face in it, hoping to forget about him; but it didn't work.

Instead, her thoughts only continued to focus on him. She couldn't help but ponder the question he had posed to her last night. _If she could go back and change things about that night, would she?_ To be perfectly honest, she had never let herself consider such a thing. She knew that path was dangerous. She had gone down that path after Cedric was killed. What if she had done something differently? What if it was her that had died instead? What if she hadn't let him grab the Triwizard Cup? All those questions had led to her downward spiral last year. No, she knew that when Sirius died, it was better _not_ to question what had happened that night. It was better to try and move on with one's life, not that she had done that very well and now Draco wanted her to go to a place buried deep inside of her that she wasn't sure she wanted to enter.

With a sigh, Leila flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling as her stomach started to grumble. She awkwardly shushed her stomach which made someone on the other side of her bed hangings laugh. Leila lifted one of the curtains and poked her head out to find Daphne sitting facing her, the blonde's feet hanging off the side of her bed. "You got back late last night," Daphne commented.

"Detention...a bloody _double_ detention because Malfoy skipped out on one, which I still had to serve, by the way," Leila groaned.

"You both came back awfully wet too." Leila could tell that Daphne was trying to tease her a bit, but the Potter girl ignored it.

"Snape probably thought it would be funny to send us out in the downpour to Hagrid's without our wands." Leila's brow suddenly furrowed. "Then again, I've never seen Snape think anything was funny."

Daphne chuckled. "No, I can't say that I have either. Although, what _was_ funny was watching Pansy fret over the two of you being gone so long last night. She probably thought the two of you were off snogging or something. How mental is that? Especially after everything."

"Completely. Totally. Absolutely mental." Leila knew she had spoken the words a little too quickly, but thankfully Daphne didn't appear to be suspicious of her. In all honesty though, she hadn't snogged Draco last night. She had _wanted_ him to, but it hadn't happened.

Leila fell back against her pillow once more with a sigh. She wanted nothing more than to tell Daphne the mess that she was in with Draco; but she also knew that if she told anyone, Harry would find out and he was the last person she wanted to know about it. Especially when she hadn't a clue what was going on. Harry would only make matters worse. Although, the thought of lording the fact that she had kissed Draco...and he had kissed her back, over Parkinson's head was very appealing, she needed time to think about it. Beside, as much as she thought otherwise, it appeared that Draco truly wanted nothing to do with her. It was as if she could get the real him for a moment, but then he'd disappear behind that blasted facade again. Leila put her hands over her face and groaned. When did everything suddenly become so complicated?

Daphne left with Flora and Hestia for breakfast while Leila went to the lavatory to freshen up, especially since her hair clumped to her head because of last night's endeavor. Thankfully, all the sixth year Slytherin girls had left the dormitory when she returned and finished dressing for the day. Leila dressed in a blue plaid shirt, grey cardigan, and jeans before she pulled her wet hair half back, leaving half of it cascading down her back in wet curls. She wished she had her wand so that she could dry her hair, but she would just have to ask Snape for it back during breakfast.

After her stomach grumbled once again, Leila headed for the Great Hall for breakfast. On her way up, she ran into Zacharias Smith, who, at least toward her, was a bigger arse than Malfoy ever was. He looked rather sleepy yet as he climbed the stairs. Leila quietly climb the stairs behind him, trying not to gain his attention; but all hope of that was lost when she sneezed. The Hufflepuff boy immediately turned around and spotted her. Leila simply rolled her eyes and attempted to ignore him as she continued to climb the stairs. It wasn't that he was as frequent of an annoyance as Draco had been, but last year on the Hogwarts Express...in a moment of weakness...she had snogged Zacharias Smith. Now, that in and of itself wasn't too terrible, she had done that with several other blokes last year. The worst part of it was the rumors that idiot boy had started after it. Although, it had been quite entertaining watching Draco punch Zacharias because he was pissed and most likely jealous about the whole situation.

Leila kept her head held high as Zacharias taunted her. She wanted nothing more than to whirl around and taunt him right back, but instead, she bit her tongue. But that didn't stop her from a certain finger gesture once she was in front of him. She then rounded the corner and made a straight-shot for the Great Hall, nearly trampling over some wide-eyed first years. Leila muttered her apologies before she entered the massive room filled with students. With her sights set on the Slytherin table, she was shocked when her brother intercepted her.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Leila muttered. "What do you want?"

"What? I can't want to eat breakfast with my sister?" Harry asked innocently, but Leila knew better.

"No, I know you. You want something."

Harry muttered something under his breath before dragging Leila over to the Gryffindor table. Leila looked to Daphne for help, but the blonde's back was to her and the only sight was Pansy narrowing her eyes at her. With a sigh, Leila fell into step beside her brother until they came to the spot at the Gryffindor table where Ron and Granger already sat. He held his hand out, offering her a spot at their table. She looked over her shoulder at the other students before turning back to her brother.

"You do remember I'm a Slytherin, right?"

"Luna sits here all the time," Harry said with a shrug. Leila rolled her eyes at his response. She knew that Harry felt as if he had completely solved the issue, but there was a difference between her sitting at the Gryffindor table...and Luna sitting there. "Besides, you've done it before."

"Did you miss the part about me being a _Slytherin_? Every other time I've sat here I've been bloody miserable."

"Just sit down." Harry pushed his sister onto the bench. She groaned as she knocked her knee against the bench trying to swing her leg in. Harry sat down beside her. "See? Was that so hard?"

Leila looked around at the other students as she tugged at the sleeve of her cardigan. It wasn't only Gryffindors watching her. She hated being put in the center of attention because of something her brother did. She knew there were people who thought she enjoyed it; but she found it to be rather torturous. "Everyone's staring, Harry."

"Then don't look at them," Harry said as if the answer were dreadfully obvious.

With a groan, Leila turned to look at her brother. "What do you want?" Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Leila held a finger up to stop him. "And don't you dare tell me that you don't want anything. I've known you my entire life, Harry. I know when you're up to something."

Harry looked almost offended by Leila's response, but he sighed. "I've been keeping a close watch on Malfoy."

"Not this again," Leila groaned. "What could he possibly have done this time?"

"It's not what _he's_ done. It's what _you've_ done. You were with him for hours last night, Leila. I watched you and him in the courtyard...on the map."

Leila's face paled for a moment. Clearly the decision to keep Harry out of the loop had been a good one; but the fact that he was insinuating things when he had no bloody information infuriated her. "Well," Leila started in a hiss. "If you were watching the bloody map close enough you would have seen that we were at Hagrid's...for detention."

"For that long?"

"You don't believe me? Go ask Hagrid. Oh wait, he mentioned last night that you lot haven't been to see him yet. Even after dropping his class." Leila then looked between Ron and Granger. Granger sat up a little straighter and set her book down, as Ron seemed rather unfazed as he continued to eat.

"You also dropped his class," Granger said stiffly. "Not to mention that you only went to see him because of this _supposed_ detention."

"That still doesn't change the fact that you lot haven't been to see him yet." Leila raised an eyebrow at Granger who only shook her head.

"Can we get back to you and Malfoy?" Harry groaned.

"There isn't a _me and Malfoy_." Leila made eye contact with her brother despite the fact that her heart seemed to beat a little faster. She hoped her brother wouldn't figure out her inner betrayal. But it wasn't Harry who responded.

"Obviously, not," Ron scoffed as he took a bite of his cereal.

"Exactly my point," Leila argue before gesturing to Ron. "Thank you."

"Then why were the two of you in the courtyard for so long _after_ being at Hagrid's?"

Harry was really pressing the issue. Leila's heart began to race again. What was she supposed to tell him? He wouldn't want to hear that _she_ had been the one chasing after _him_. But she knew the best lies to be born from the truth. Leila narrowed her eyes at her brother before she answered. "Well, excuse me for enjoying annoying the prat. Besides, I thought you wanted me to keep an eye on him. Well, he certainly wasn't off doing anything suspicious because he was too busy being pissed at me for puddle jumping. Anything else?"

But Harry never responded, instead he just shook his head and muttered under his breath. Leila rolled her eyes at her brother. Sometimes, he could be rather insufferable; but she had to love him...he was her brother. Besides, the two of them had been through so much together. Leila looked across the table to Granger who was sneaking glances at Ron between pages of the book she read. It was obvious Ron was oblivious to Granger's longing glances; but Leila couldn't help but wonder if _she_ was that obvious as far as her newfound desire for Draco was concerned. She certainly hoped not. One shouldn't be so transparent.

"Say, Leila," Ron said as he reached for the cereal box to pour himself another bowl. "What are your thoughts on Merope?"

"What?" Leila questioned.

"You know…" Ron started, but Leila immediately noticed Harry's widened eyes and shaking head that practically mirrored on Granger which caused Ron to stop, leaving his mouth hanging open. Leila felt slightly uncomfortable about the situation. They were up to something, but Ron flustered for a bit before he finally continued. "I-uh-my rope."

"Your rope? Since when do you have rope and why would I care about it?" Leila then turned toward her brother. "Why do I get the feeling that you're keeping something from me?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Leils," Harry said scratching the back of his head...one of Harry's nervous tics.

"Well, obviously it's something or _Ron_ wouldn't have asked me about it. Besides, you know that one way or another you're going to drag me into this mess so you might as well tell me now so I'm not completely ambushed." Leila looked her brother right in the eyes knowing full-well that he wasn't going to tell her. If he wasn't going to tell her, than she was going to have to figure it out on her own...especially if she was going to get dragged into it eventually.

"I can't," was all her brother managed because at that time the post owls arrived from the rainy outside. As they flew through the Great Hall, they scattered water droplets on everyone. Leila tried to shield herself with her cardigan, but it didn't work too well. She just hoped nothing worse than water fell from up above. Leila knew better than to hope for any mail. She and Harry hardly ever received any and neither of them had received anything since the start of term. Leila had been waiting on a letter from her godfather, Remus Lupin, but she knew him to be quite busy with Order business; so she knew that he would write to her when he found the time.

Both Harry and Leila were quite surprised when Hedwig landed on the table in front of them, along with the Weasley's owl, Pigwidgeon. Although, Leila immediately noted that Hedwig and Pig carried matching parcels. But the parcel for Harry wasn't the only thing Hedwig carried. There was also a letter addressed to her. Leila quickly snatched her letter as Ron and Harry tore into their parcels only to be disappointed to find that their new copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_ had arrived.

Noticing that Harry had brought his book bag along with him, Leila reached down and grabbed his old Potions textbook out of it. "Hey, give that back!" Harry shot out. She immediately held the book behind her back and out of his reach.

"You have one," Leila said gesturing toward the _new_ book in his hands. Harry then looked at the envelope addressed to Leila on the table. His hand snatched her letter and Leila's face slightly contorted. "Give that back!"

"Who's this from?" Harry questioned as he tried to figure out who sent it from the handwriting. "I know it's not Remus. Who else would be sending you anything?"

"I don't know, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Well, if you want to find out who sent it, then give me my book back."

"You're being a prat."

"I want my book and you want your letter. It's a fair trade. On the count of three, we'll switch. One…" Harry looked right at his sister.

"Hang on! On three or after three? I'm never certain which…"

"Just give me my bloody book back." Harry lunged at his sister. Leila tossed the book across the table to Ron before she grabbed Harry's arm with one hand and then pulled the letter from his hand with her other. "Leila," Harry groaned.

"Harry," Leila mimicked as she swatted Harry's head with her letter before she stuffed it in her jeans pocket. She then held her hand out to Ron, who was currently paging through the textbook. "Now, hand it over, Ron."

"It's my book."

"He does have a point, Leils," Ron said before he tossed the book over to Harry.

Leila rolled her eyes when in her peripheral vision, she caught sight of Professor Snape leaving the Great Hall. She quickly reached for a muffin from the center of the table and took a bite before muttering with food in her mouth, "Gotta go get my wand back from Snape."

"Why does Snape have your wand?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised.

Leila swallowed her bite of food and the responded. "You really think he'd let Malfoy and I keep our wands during detention? We might kill each other...or worse." Harry looked at her curiously before she ran away to catch up with her Head of House who had exited the Great Hall. Leila nearly trampled some Hufflepuffs as she ran into the corridor. "Professor!"

Snape didn't stop for her. Leila groaned as she continued to chase after him. He was almost to the staircase before Leila finally managed to catch him. Although, by catching him, she stepped on his cloak where it billowed behind him causing him to jerk suddenly to a stop and Leila to slip to the floor. Snape quickly turned around with a scowl on his face. "Potter," he hissed.

"Hi, sir," Leila said from the floor when he pulled his cloak out from underneath her. "I-uh-sorry about that." Leila then picked herself up and Snape turned to walk away. "Sir, I was wondering if I might have my wand back." But Snape continued walking without saying anything. So, Leila called to him once again, "Sir?"

Professor Snape stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder. "You won't be getting it back if you keep up that shrieking." He then started walking again. Leila took that as her cue to follow after; but this time she made sure to stay far away from his cloak. Leila knew better than to make the same mistake twice as far as Professor Snape was concerned. It wasn't until they were in his classroom that Snape finally gave Leila her wand back without saying a single word before silently ordering her to leave.

With her letter still safely in her pocket, Leila wanted to find a quiet place to read it. So, she walked to the Room of Requirement, but again, she was not able to enter. She furrowed her brow in frustration. Why couldn't she get in? It didn't make any sense. Leila sighed before she headed outside, pulling her cardigan closer to her body as she walked down to the Quidditch pitch. She figured she could just sit in the stands and be alone, something she had done frequently last year. Once at the Quidditch pitch, she sat down in the stands and opened the letter before she sighed. It was from Fred. Her stomach lurched a little before she began to read what he had written her.

 _Dear Leila,_

 _How have classes been going? I'm going to go out on a limb and say terrible. They let you think that because you have dropped all those classes that it would be easier. Lies. Then again, you probably continued on in most of your classes, didn't you? Probably should have warned you better, shouldn't I? Business has slowed down a bit, well at least physically in the store. George and I have plenty of other orders to fill. I won't go into great detail because Dad says your mail is being checked before it gets to you and I wouldn't want to implicate myself or you in anything. (Not that there is anything going on, Filch. That is if you're reading this, Filch. Can you even read?) But I digress. I miss you. I miss our adventures around the castle and trying to make you laugh, which was quite difficult last year. I hope you're doing well, Leila. Truly. I hope to hear from you soon, Leila._

 _Fred_

 _P.S. Look for something in the post in a few days._

Leila gently smiled as she folded Fred's letter again. What would Fred think of her predicament? He obviously didn't like Draco very much. In fact, he had saved her from Draco a time or two. The Potter girl rubbed at her face before she sighed and leaned forward on her knees. She did miss Fred. He had been such a big part of her life last year and helping her get through her depression; but she also had gotten used to missing him...especially after her left last year.

 _ **~*~Flashback to 5th Year~*~**_

 _Leila sat at the Slytherin table giggling at Malfoy's pathetic attempts to make her jealous while giving Pansy attention, but repeatedly looking at her. Daphne smiled at Leila's reaction. Finally, after months and months of a dark and deep depression, Leila was practically herself again. Daphne wished it could have been her to help Leila; but she knew that more than anyone it was Fred Weasley...a bloody Gryffindor that had helped Leila. But that fact annoyed Malfoy even more than it annoyed Daphne. He had wanted to be the one to "save" Leila, and save her arse countless times, he had; but it irked him whatever Leila had with Weasley...and deep down, Leila already knew that._

 _Fred Weasley deliberately walked over to the Slytherin table and stopped behind Leila before tapping her on the shoulder. With a huge grin on her face, Leila turned and looked at Fred, "Hiya, Fred," Leila said with a smile._

" _Hey, Leila," Fred said. Leila looked up at him curiously and Fred almost seemed a little flustered before he spoke again. "Care for a walk?"_

 _Leila was just about to answer when jealousy snapped inside of Draco, so he reached across the table and pulled one of Leila's curls. Leila managed to slap his hand before she turned to glare at him for a moment. "What the bloody hell was that for?" Leila hissed._

 _For a moment, it looked like Draco didn't know what to say before he cooly responded, "You shouldn't distract yourself. You have O.W.L.s tomorrow."_

" _Perfect reason to distract myself, if I do say so." Leila raised her eyebrows at Malfoy before she stood up and purposely took hold of Fred's arm because she knew it would annoy Draco. Fred seemed eager to go along with her plan as he looked back at Malfoy and winked._

 _Once Fred and Leila were out of the Great Hall, Leila let go of Fred's arm and then folded them across her chest as she walked beside him. Fred shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before the two exited the castle through the front entrance. The sun was beginning to set and the view was almost breathtaking. "Leila, we need to talk," Fred said with a sigh._

" _I assumed as much when you saved me from Malfoy. Thanks for that, by the way." Leila smiled up at him and Fred's face saddened for a moment. "What? Did I say something wrong?"_

" _No. There's nothing wrong with you." There was an awkward pause as Leila looked at him curiously. "You've come so far this year, Leila. You're practically back to yourself."_

" _Only because_ someone _was a pain in my ass...and I'm not talking about Malfoy." Fred nodded knowing that she was referring to him. "You're being awfully serious, Fred. It's sorta scary."_

 _Fred stopped walking and pursed his lips. "What I have to tell you is rather difficult. It may come as a bit of a shock."_

" _Fred, just spit it out already."_

" _George and I are leaving Hogwarts."_

" _I kinda assumed you both would be graduating since you're seventh years."_

" _No. Like leaving tomorrow, Leila." Leila's brow furrowed in confusion. "Hogwarts isn't for Georgie and I anymore and now that you're practically back to normal, I feel that now is as good of time as any."_

" _Tomorrow?" Leila barely choked out. "I-I…"_

" _You'll be fine. You're doing so much better. Please know that I wouldn't leave you if I didn't think you were going to be fine."_

" _Where will you go?"_

" _We're going to set up shop in Diagon Alley."_

" _Take me with you. I-I can help you both."_

 _Fred chuckled and shook his head. "Believe me, I've thought about it; but I'm pretty sure Harry would kill me. But even more terrifying than your brother would be my mum." Fred shuddered. "Mum would probably kill me and then bring me back and kill me all over again if I broke you out of Hogwarts."_

" _It's not fair," Leila huffed before she walked over to a nearby bench and sat down with a sour expression on her face. Fred slowly followed her over to the bench. He got down on his haunches in front of her and looked up at her face. A few tears had slipped down her cheek as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. He tried to reach up to wipe away her tears; but she quickly brushed them away with the sleeve of her robe before he could._

" _I promise I'll write Leila," Fred said as he rested his arms on his knees. "Nothing has to change….unless you want it to." Leila raised an eyebrow confused by his statement, but she didn't say anything. Wanting to diffuse the awkwardness, Fred continued, "And if when you're seventeen you still want to work for us, come on down to Diagon Alley. I'm sure we could find some use for you. Until then...stay in school."_

 _Leila scoffed, "I never thought I'd hear those words out of your mouth."_

" _Believe me, I'm regretting them already." Leila couldn't help but break a smile. "Is that a smile I see? See, you'll be fine."_

 _Leila bit down on her bottom lip trying to hide her smile, but it only made it worse. Fred then moved to sit down beside Leila. She sighed beside him and then looked over at him. "So, now what?"_

" _This is goodbye for now. George and I have a few last minute things to attend to before our grand departure."_

" _I'll miss you."_

 _Fred must have gotten choked up, because he couldn't find the words to say. Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around Leila and hugged her. Leila's nose was pressed against Fred's shoulder as she inhaled his scent before sniffling a few times. They sat there for a few moments before Fred pulled away. His eyes met Leila's and for a moment, he seemed to hesitate with what to do next. He leaned his head in and parted his lips a bit as Leila continued to watch him. She almost thought he was going to kiss her; but instead he quickly kissed her on the cheek before he muttered something resembling goodbye and then walking back inside the castle._

 _ **~*~End Flashback~*~**_

Leila sighed and leaned her head back against the railing behind her. She did miss Fred. But honestly, last year she hadn't missed him as much as she thought she would. Maybe losing Cedric made her numb to losing others. Leila ran her fingers through her hair because she couldn't fully articulate to what extent she missed Fred. She missed his presence. She missed him making her laugh. Yet, she still kept living without those things. After folding the letter, Leila placed it back in her pocket before she closed her eyes and just inhaled the scent of outside. It was obviously going to rain soon and there was a nip to the air, but yet it was better than being cooped-up inside the castle all day.

Footsteps clomping across the wooden floorboards grew louder as the person neared Leila. Leila could feel the vibrations as the person climbed higher toward her; but she didn't open her eyes until she heard a familiar voice say her name. She opened her eyes to see her brother standing in front of her dressed in his Quidditch gear. "Yes?" Leila said.

"I booked the pitch for Gryffindor," Harry stated.

"And?"

"And they're not comfortable with a Slytherin spying on our tryouts."

" _Please_ ," Leila scoffed. "As if I would be spying on you lot. Don't they already know that I know the tricks of their best players anyway?"

"Honestly, I don't think they care. They just don't want a Slytherin here."

"Then maybe you should remind them of the time that you, Fred, and George were spying on us? It only seems fair..."

"Leila."

The Potter girl rolled her eyes and caught a rather repulsing sight in her peripheral vision before she stood up and looked her brother right in the eyes. She patted his cheek before whispering, "Good luck. You're gonna need it this year." Harry chuckled at his sister's sentiment before she turned to walk away.

"Really? It was that easy to get rid of you? All I had to do was tell you to leave? Since when does that ever work?"

Leila turned around and smirked. "Never. It has nothing to do with you or your bloody tryouts. Granger's here." Leila pointed to the spot where Hermione Granger was settling herself on the bench. "Which means that this is the last place I want to be."

"Hermione isn't as bad as you make her out to be. There are people out there far worse than her. You know...like Voldemort."

Leila rolled her eyes before she walked away from her brother without another word. For a moment, she pondered Harry's words. Sure, Granger might not have been as evil as Voldemort; but she certainly was every bit as annoying. So, Leila trampled back to the castle.

The next week during classes, Leila found herself absolutely distracted. She couldn't help it; but things with Malfoy just didn't sit right with her. She wanted to approach him about it; but obviously she couldn't do so in broad daylight. She tried to corner him during their rounds on Monday; but apparently he had taken the liberty to switching with the 5th year Hufflepuffs...without Leila's knowledge. Clearly, he was avoiding her and Leila was getting sick of that game. Yet despite her frustrations, she found herself always thinking of him. It even got to the point that she was too busy sneaking glances at Draco in class to pay attention. But McGonagall quickly caught on to that.

Leila sat across the aisle in Transfiguration from him. She rested her right elbow on the desk and put her head in her hand to make it look like she was looking straight ahead at Professor McGonagall, but through her hair, she was watching Draco's every movement to her right. He looked rather tired and a little more disheveled than she was used to seeing. It was probably wishful thinking to hope that the situation was bothering him as much as it was bothering her. For a moment, Leila looked down at her page of notes, which was practically empty before she resumed looking at Draco through her hair. It was almost amusing how the tables had turned.

Flora Carrow suddenly tapped Leila on the left shoulder and Leila turned to see what her friend wanted. Flora only nodded straight ahead at Professor McGonagall. Leila turned toward her professor with wide eyes. "Miss Potter, do you have an answer?"

"To what?" Leila choked out.

"My question." Leila tried to avoid an eyeroll because she already _knew_ that much; but Professor McGonagall continued. "No? Well, I don't think Mr Malfoy will have the answer for you."

"What?" Leila sat up straighter and she could feel her face begin to blush. Draco looked to her in surprise before he quickly scowled and tried to look away from her. "I-I'm just rather distracted, today."

"Clearly," Professor McGonagall said knowingly looking between Leila and Draco.

"It's not what you think! I-I wasn't..." Leila bit her bottom lip to keep herself from uttering the words she knew McGonagall was thinking."I wasn't." She repeated the words more for herself than for McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall shook her head and looked at Leila over her spectacles. "Please pay better attention, Miss Potter. Just because you currently lead the class in this subject doesn't mean you don't have to pay attention."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll be seeing you in detention."

"My God! You too?" Leila groaned as she buried her face in her arms on her desk.

Professor McGonagall sternly looked at Leila before turning to look at Draco who almost looked pleased that Leila got detention. "You too Mr Malfoy. You weren't paying attention either." McGonagall's eyes then darted across the room to where Ron sat trying to hold back his laughter. "And Mr Weasley stop that giggling. You're not far behind them."

When Leila finally lifted her head, she found Draco staring at her; but his expression was a rather threatening one. He shook his head at her when they made eye contact. Clearly he wasn't too happy about the added detention either. It almost seemed as if all the teachers were out to get them this year.

The class finally ended and Draco was the first one out of his seat. Leila watched him walk out of the room over her shoulder only to have Flora look at her curiously when she finally turned back around. "What?" Leila snapped.

"Nothing, I didn't say anything," Flora responded before she raised her eyebrow. "Then again, I'm not sure I had to."

Leila rolled her eyes and reached for her bag. "Let's just go to Herbology."

"Whatever you say, Leila."

"C'mon, Flora." Leila pulled on Flora's arm for her friend to follow her. She certainly wasn't as close with Flora as she was Daphne or Ginny; but Leila still considered Flora and her twin sister Hestia to be her friends. Besides, Daphne was currently occupied trying to keep Theo's attention and Leila didn't want to be on her own. Otherwise, who knew how terribly things might spiral with Malfoy.

Flora and Leila chatted lightly as they walked to the greenhouses from the Transfiguration classroom. Inside the greenhouse, Daphne waved them over to the table she was sharing with Theo. Daphne was seated beside Theo, so Flora and Leila took the seats opposite them. Leila tried to busy herself by pulling out her Herbology assignment, but she could practically feel Daphne's eyes boring holes into her.

"Yes?" Leila drawled without looking up.

"Another detention?" Daphne asked pointedly.

"On the bright side, at this rate, I'm likely to break my own father's detention record."

"And that's a good thing?"

"No, but it's the only positive thing I could manage to come up with. The list of negatives is quite exhaustive and makes me angry when I think about them."

"I think we should let her stay on the positive side of things," Theo commented with a slight smile on his face. "She's rather terrifying when she's angry."

"I am not!" Leila argued, pounding her fist against the table. She quickly recoiled and looked around the room to make sure no one else was watching her.

Theo chuckled and shook his head. "Have you met you?" Leila raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Let's just say I'm glad I'm not Pansy...or Malfoy. You can be downright mean to them when you're angry enough."

"In my defense, Pansy is just as mean...and Malfoy...well, he's Malfoy and annoying as hell." Leila quickly bit her bottom lip after the words slipped out of her mouth. She was digging herself deeper into a hole every time she opened her mouth to speak. Thankfully, she wasn't able to dig herself into an even bigger hole because Professor Sprout called the class to order.

But that didn't stop Leila's eyes from wandering to Draco who was seated in her line of view, facing her. She tried not to concentrate on him, but her eyes kept wandering back to him. Why was she doing this? Why was she acting like this? And then, right there in Herbology of all places, she finally understood-she fancied Draco Malfoy. After years of intensely disliking him and weeks trying to avoid or ignore it, she finally admitted it to herself. Leila Potter fancied Draco Malfoy. The thought made her heart skip a beat and her face paled. This revelation was probably the worst possible thing she could ever admit to herself, mostly because she couldn't rationalize it to herself. It just happened. She wasn't sure when it happened, but it did...and worst of all, she could never tell her brother...nor would her closest friends ever believe her.

"Miss Potter, you don't look well," Professor Sprout said in the middle of her lecture.

"I'm not," Leila whispered, fully meaning the words she uttered, even if it wasn't quite what Professor Sprout meant.

"Do you need to be excused?" Professor Sprout took a few steps closer toward Leila. Leila looked at her professor before she slowly nodded her head. "Go along as see Madam Pomfrey, I'm sure she has something to remedy this."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Leila muttered to herself before she grabbed her things and headed for the door. The Potter girl looked over her shoulder to find Draco looking right at her quizzically. She bit her bottom lip before quickly turning around and exiting the greenhouse.

Knowing that Professor Sprout was likely to check up on her, Leila went directly to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey was tending a first year who had hexed himself. Madam Pomfrey told her to have a seat and that she would be with her when she could. So, Leila sat down rather stiffly on the nearest bed. She felt her stomach flip and her heart thud. Her gaze immediately went to the floor. _This_ was bad? But when had it gotten so...bad? Leila ran her fingers through her hair.

It was nearly twenty minutes later before Madam Pomfrey walked over to her. "You think first years would learn that no magic in the corridors means no magic in the corridors," the older woman said as she sat down on a chair in front of Leila. "Now, what seems to be the problem, Miss Potter?"

"I'm not well," Leila said. "You-you should probably check me for every possible illness." Obviously _something_ had to be wrong with her in order for herself in to be in this condition.

"I suppose we can start with the vitals."

"Whatever you need to do. There's something seriously wrong with me."

Madam Pomfrey checked Leila's temperature-normal. No cuts. No bruises. Slightly underweight. Pulse-mostly normal, although slightly elevated. Leila blushed at the mention of her heart rate. "Can you give me anything more specific, Miss Potter. I've humored your guessing game long enough."

"I-I, my heart...and my stomach. I just-just feel out of sorts...and I can hardly concentrate."

Madam Pomfrey's facial expression turned from stern to amused, which honestly frightened Leila. The woman actually had a smile on her face. She looked at Leila as if she were in on some sort of secret...although Leila wasn't sure on the secret. "If it makes you feel better, your mother was in for the very same problem."

 _ **~*~Flashback to Marauders Era~*~**_

 _A fiery ginger-haired Gryffindor teenage girl stormed into the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey turned to notice that it was none other than Lily Evans. It wasn't often that Miss Evans made her way to the hospital wing, so Madam Pomfrey immediately stood up and met her near the door. The poor girl was rather blanched and her emerald eyes were wide in sheer terror._

" _Miss Evans, what brings you to the hospital wing?" Madam Pomfrey asked gently._

 _Lily looked up at the woman for a moment, concentrating on her breathing before she spoke. "There's something wrong with me, Madam Pomfrey. Please, I need you to cure it."_

 _Madam Pomfrey blinked several times in confusion before speaking, "Cure you of what, Miss Evans?"_

" _I-I don't know; but whatever it is, it's terrible. I feel funny all over and it's distracting me from my studies."_

" _That certainly isn't good." Madam Pomfrey quickly ushered Lily to a bed and began to ask questions before she did some basic vitals. Everything seemed to be normal about the girl, aside from the fact that poor Lily was clearly convinced that she was dying of some unknown ailment. Stumped, Madam Pomfrey decided to let Lily rest for a bit. But minutes later, the healer figured out the malady when James Potter came bursting into the hospital wing._

" _Lily!" James Potter shouted as he ran through the doors to the infirmary. Lily Evans blanched at the sight of James running toward her. She could feel herself growing flustered and she looked to Madam Pomfrey who looked between the two Gryffindors. "Remus only told me! Are you alright?"_

" _Miss Evans, I think you're going to live," Madam Pomfrey said with a smirk on her face. "Although, I might suggest that you not overexert yourself. Paranoia is probably the biggest cause for your ailments. Perhaps, Mr Potter here can help escort you back to your common room."_

" _Of course, Madam Pomfrey." James was only too eager._

 _Lily still didn't seem convinced, which caused the healer to chuckle. "You're going to be fine Miss Evans. Now go."_

 _Madam Pomfrey watched as James Potter offered Lily Evans his hand to help her up. The teenage girl looked to it for a moment before she refused the hand and stood up on her own. Lily walked right by James, who looked somewhat disappointed; but the girl stopped when she was a few feet from the door. The Gryffindor girl looked over her shoulder at James. "Are you coming or not?" A wide grin spread over the boy's face before he ran to escort the girl to the common room._

 _ **~*~ End Flashback~*~**_

Leila looked at Madam Pomfrey curious, who seemed to be staring off with a smile on her face which was quite concerning. "The same thing? What happened to my mum?"

"She was fine, just as you will be," Madam Pomfrey said placing her hands on Leila's shoulders. "Although, I'm sure some rest will calm you down some. You can stay here for a bit if you'd like."

Leila nodded her head before laying back against the pillow. She shifted around until she was comfortable as Madam Pomfrey walked away to check on the first year. The Potter girl watched the woman before she spoke, "Madam Pomfrey, what's wrong with me?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Miss Potter-you just don't like it. Now get some rest or get back to class."

With a sigh, Leila closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep. She was quite unsuccessful for a long time; but she finally did manage to fall asleep. It wasn't until well after lunch and Arithmancy that she finally awoke and snuck back to the Slytherin dungeon and into her dormitory. She closed her emerald bed hangings and cuddled with Roman until dinner. After dinner, she headed to Astronomy, which was fairly uneventful aside from getting a note from Snape that said that she and Draco had patrol rather than detention after class. Leila nervously looked to Draco as he read the note Snape had for him; but his expression was rather blank. He didn't look angry, but he didn't look happy either. Just blank.

When Astronomy ended, Leila made sure to intercept Draco before he bolted. She was rather nervous; but she managed to grab hold of his arm causing him to turn to look at her. "So, we have patrol then?"

"You can read, can't you?" Draco scoffed.

Leila wanted to snap at him, but instead she cooly responded, "Yes. I was just making sure you could."

Draco shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with. I have other things I need to attend to tonight." He then side-stepped her and began to walk rather briskly down the stairs. "I don't need you getting me another detention."

Leila's brow furrowed as she followed after him. "You seem awfully busy this year, Draco."

"It's none of your concern and from here on out, we patrol in silence."

The Potter girl didn't say anything, instead, she just followed Draco into the corridor with her arms folded across her chest. Leila made sure Draco knew how disgruntled she was from the huffs and sighs she vocalized as she followed behind him. Although, just as she expected it was grating on his nerves, which was exactly what she was trying to do.

Every now and then, Draco would look over his shoulder to the petite girl following behind him. He wanted to tell her to stop; but he knew that she was trying to get a reaction out of him. So, he continued leading the way down the corridor. A few times, Leila purposely stepped on his heel; but he kept his gaze forward. Leila still found herself distracted by him. She would look at his hand and want to reach out and hold it with hers. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair which seemed perfectly in place. She wanted to kiss his lips which would eagerly respond to hers. But none of these thoughts were doing her any good. It wasn't until they stumbled across a group of third year Slytherin boys wandering the corridor that the silence was broken.

"Pritchard! Baddock! Harper!" Draco hissed from the shadows.

The three boys looked to each other panic-stricken until Draco walked out of the shadows. Then they laughed and slapped each other on the back over how scared they were. "Oi, Malfoy it's only you and Potter. You had us going there for a moment," Harper said between breaths.

Draco straightened his stance before speaking. "You're lucky it was us who caught you. What are you lot doing out?" He then when silent and waited for them to actually voice a response.

Leila looked to Draco incredulously before she scoffed, "Sure, you give _them_ time to think when they're obviously just coming up with some sort of lie they expect you're going to believe."

Draco gave Leila a warning look, telling her not to continue before he turned to the Slytherin boys. "Head back to the Slytherin Dungeon and we'll pretend this never happened. If we see you again, then Snape will hear of this excursion."

The younger boys quickly ran away. Draco watched them over his shoulder until they were disappeared from his view. Then, he turned toward Leila with a scowl on his face. "What the hell was that about?"

"You can give them time to figure out what they wanted to say, but not me?" Leila hissed.

"Like you said, they were going to lie anyway."

"But _I_ wasn't." Leila thumped her chest with her finger, tears beginning to sting at her eyes. "You never gave me a chance to think!"

"Think about what?"

"About whether or not I would go back and change that night, Draco. You just walked away and never let me say a single word either way. I know you know me well enough to know that I needed a moment to gather my thoughts."

"And I suppose you have an answer, now do you?"

It was almost as if he were challenging her. Leila took in a ragged breath which she slowly exhaled. "Yes." The truth and the answer she knew he wanted to hear were the same; but her reasons certainly wouldn't match up with his. So that was all she said, opting not to delve into any details. Leila slowly backed herself up until she was leaning against the wall, knowing that Draco was intently watching her. "Yes, I would go back and change things if I could."

Draco leaned up against the other wall and exhaled before he raked his hand through his platinum blonde hair. He mulled her words over for a moment. "And how am I supposed to know if you're just telling me what I want to hear?"

"You're just going to have to trust me." Leila looked at him innocently across the corridor. "I never even wanted to be there in the first place and then one thing just led to another….and here we are."

"But he's my _father_ , Leila…"

"I know that and if I could change things, I would; but I can't, Draco. I can't change the past. But I've thought about what you said. When you said your father wouldn't hurt me because of you...you were right. That night in the Ministry, I could tell he was purposely missing me...or if he had to hit he, he hit me with rather weak jinxes that didn't last very long. I completely missed it then, but I know now. Believe me, if I could go back…"

"So there's your grand confession; but what now, Leila? What do you want to happen now?"

"The same thing I'm pretty sure deep down _you_ want to happen too." Leila crossed the corridor so that she stood directly in front of him. No more than a few inches separated them and Draco didn't move to get away. She could practically feel her heart wanting to escape from her chest, her breathing slow. She looked up at him, her emerald eyes meeting his icy ones. "I'm sick of these games, Draco. There's no sense in avoiding this any longer. We've both been miserable these past few weeks."

Leila took one final step forward and leaned into him, resting her small hands on his sides. She could practically feel the energy surging between the two of them. However wrong this might be, something about it was very right. Leila spoke once more, but this time in a whisper. "I know you still fancy me, Draco. And I-I, bloody hell, I feel the same way about you."

Shock filled Draco's eyes as he finally heard the words he had been waiting years to hear. Leila could feel his heart thudding as she leaned against him. He seemed almost frozen in place, looking down at her. A million thoughts were racing through his head-why he shouldn't give in to her; but any anger he held against her had dissipated.

Unsure, of what to do or say, Leila hands gripped tightly onto the fabric of the robes on his sides before she pulled herself onto her tiptoes. He hadn't voiced any opinions to the contrary, maybe...just maybe. This time when she spoke, her voice was rather hoarse. "Now, unless you tell me otherwise, I think I'm going to kiss you."

Nervously, Leila reached her face up to reach his, keeping her eyes on his. But the moment was shattered when he said, "No." Heartbroken and with tears stinging at her eyes, Leila immediately released him and began to back away from him muttering her apologies. Draco's eyes widened as he noticed Leila recoiling and he tried to bridge the gap between them."I said no, because _I'm_ going to kiss _you_."

Draco's arms snaked forward. His hands took hold of Leila's cheeks as he pulled her face to his, fiercely crashing his lips against her quivering ones. She quickly responded to being kissed by him, feeling more ecstasy in that moment than she ever had before. Her hands went to his sides once more, where she clung to his robes for dear life as he continued to kiss her. Draco's kisses seemed to grow more passionate and Leila found herself gasping from all the attention. Finally, she needed to break way for a breath but Draco continued to hold her face as he looked down at her, actually looking happy despite how tired he looked.

Leila bit her bottom lip and looked up at him with a playful expression on her face before she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him backward. Draco allowed her to lead him until he was pressed up against the wall. "What are you doing?" Draco slightly chuckled as Leila held him pinned against the wall with her hands still on his chest.

"I'm not letting you run this time," Leila whispered looking up at Draco, her emotions plainly visible on her face. Her hand grabbed his robe and held onto it tightly. "Not this time, Draco."

"Not this time," Draco agreed in a whisper before he reached down and kissed Leila's lips, much more gently than he had done moments before. Leila couldn't help but smile as he kissed her...and she kissed him back. His lips left hers and found their way to her neck. Next thing she knew, Draco turned her so that she was against the wall and he was leaning down against her. Leila giggled as she pulled herself closer to him. For a moment, Draco stopped nuzzling her neck and he whispered in her ear, "Merlin, I've wanted this for so long."

With her hand, Leila gently pushed his cheek so that he was looking directly at her. "I know...and now _we_ can have it. I want to see where this goes, Draco." Draco didn't vocalize a response, instead he kissed her. Leila ended the kiss to continue talking. "I've been thinking about this...if something were to happen. And I-I think we should keep _this_ between just us...for now. I don't want to complicate things right away."

Draco nodded his head in agreement. Honestly, he would be much better off if no one knew what was going on between him and Leila. He had wanted this for so long and it wasn't fair to make him abandon it. It wasn't exactly how he had envisioned finally being with her; but he had to take what he could get, right? Not to mention that if things didn't work out between them, they would both be saved the embarrassment. It made sense. But on the other hand, "I think we've already made things complicated."

"You're probably right." Leila ran her fingers through Draco's hair, causing it to stick up at odd angles. This made Leila grin, but Draco's eyes watched Leila's hand quizzically. "But I still think keeping other people, specifically my brother, out of our business is for the best."

"I agree, but you're going to have to work at being a little more subtle." Draco tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before he smirked at her.

"Excuse me?" Leila knew that he was teasing her, but she still pretended to be offended by his remark as she attempted to swat his hand away, but somehow he managed to grip her wrist.

"You were staring at me during Transfiguration...and Herbology. It was pretty obvious."

"And you would only know that if you were staring back at me," Leila retorted which caused Draco to roll his eyes. The dark-haired girl laughed before she got on her tippy-toes and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "We should probably finish our patrol."

Leila slipped her hand in his and tried to pull him down the corridor, but he didn't budge much as he groaned in complaint. "Do we have to?"

"I suppose we could get another detention instead."

"No. No more of those." Still holding her hand, Draco followed after her. "I mean it."

"Hey, not my fault," Leila giggled. Draco cocked an eyebrow at her. "Fine, maybe it's _partially_ my fault."

The new Slytherin couple finished their rounds before heading down to the dungeons. Leila was about to round the corner to head to the Slytherin common room when Draco suddenly pulled her back. "I'm going to wait before going back in, so no one will get suspicious." Leila nodded her head before Draco kissed her. He then walked away down the corridor, the opposite direction of the Slytherin dungeon and Leila walked toward it. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. It had certainly been an eventful night.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Another chapter! Sorry it took so long! I got another round of ear infections. (For those of you who have followed me for a while, you know I have had terrible ear issues the past 6 months) Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

* * *

 **CurseYouTinyToilet:** I'm glad you liked Draco's POV. I realized that I only did that in the 7th year story in the original. I really liked seeing things from Draco too. They have things temporarily figured out. haha.

 **GraceFaithHopeLove:** D'awwww! I'm flattered! But those two! C'mon Dreila, get your acts together! haha.

 **AriaHowell:** Who was watching them? Hehe. Dumbles and Snape might have been talking about the two of them...having the conversation Draco dreamed about. I'm seriously so in love with Dreila all over again. The exact number of guys-well, I think you saw the tumblr post. ;) haha.

 **NCISWINCHESTERPOTTER:** I do like their friendship. I always felt that I didn't go into it as much in the original, so I'm gonna try and write them a bit more. It just isn't easy with them being in different Houses and different years. But here's to hoping!

 **You'veGotMail24:** I"M SORRY FOR THE FEELS! This chapter was somewhat fluffy! Did that make up for it? haha.

 **Dopping Off Secrets:** Thanks!

 **SlytherinWinchester:** Your lists always make me smile. 13 things you liked about it! D'awww, that's more than I would have thought! Haha. (I would have figured 1 lol) Thanks for taking the time to review!

 **Hidden Journey:** Yay! I'm glad you liked it! That song completely works for Dreila! They're my ship too! Although, I keep teasing renny autum and nixdragon that I'm gonna kill of Draco in the end for Fred just to mess with them. haha.

 **Wayward Jules:** Yes, yes they are both very stubborn people. No, he isn't over her. But he gave into his desires, so how will that affect his mission? Hmmm...

 **Littleleague:** I'm glad you approve! Haha. Again, this chapter was completely different. I know that some things will change, some things will stay the same. I'm just trying to write better. Haha. But thanks for reading this time around! :D

 **Marshmallow Attack:** Thank you! Your review made my day. I'm glad you enjoy Leila as much as I do. Haha! Glad to know someone visits my tumblr! :)

 **Across the Landz:** Flashback! I love them too! I especially liked doing the Jily one. I actually haven't done one for them like that before, so it was kinda cool. Making some parallels. Love ya!

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx:** Yay! More new content!

 **ColdAndBrokenHallelujah:** Did I kill you too? Oops? You're right, she's too stubborn. Haha. So, here's another chapter for you!

 **Silly Sally:** Yay! I'm flattered you're enjoying it! :)

 **Cloudy147:** I messaged you, but your review literally made my day! :) Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed this one!

 **TheAbominableSnowman:** Good, I'm glad! I'm glad I'm sucking someone else into the madness that is Draco and Leila. I can't be here all alone! haha.

 **WaitingForTheLights:** Yay for new content! I'm super enjoying writing the new stuff!

 **Mashed Potato Angel:** Yes, probably, most definitely!

 **Slow Dancing in the Snow:** Well, what do you think? Has it been worth it? Don't worry, there's more pain to come!

 **Skip4Now:** Thanks for all your reviews! :)

 **LilMissSwan:** Thank you!

 **Always Keeps Fighting:** Haha! Welcome to the crazy world that is Dreila!

 **Maddie Rose:** Thank you so much for your reviews, Maddie! They literally mean the world to me. :) I love all the insights you have to my story-you just get it! And that's really awesome. Hope you enjoyed this one!

 **Guest (1):** Thanks, here's another one!

 **Somethingsomethingsomething:** Ok, here's an update! hehe.

 **Guest (2):** Thanks!

 **Understanding the Inevitable:** Yay! You are most welcome! I enjoy writing it...as long as I'm feeling ok. haha.

 **S0ME0NE LIKE Y0U:** Wow! Thanks for all your reviews! It means a lot to me. :)

 **Nixdragon:** Hey, look at you! You reviewed! Haha. Thanks for putting up with me and my constant asking if it's ok. Lol.

* * *

 _Again, thanks! If ya'll are ever bored leila's tumblr is leilapotter_


	14. Secrets of the Castle

**Lost Along the Way**

By: January Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Secrets of the Castle**

Leila awoke the next morning with a giant grin on her face. That was probably the most restful sleep she had in months. It took her a moment to realize why she was so happy...Draco. The thought seemed laughable, but Draco Malfoy was the cause of her euphoria. For a moment she tried to cover the smile on her face with her hand, but it didn't work. Instead, she started to flail in her bed: her legs kicking at her blankets and the rest of her body rolling over her bed. She was so excited that she ended up rolling off her bed and onto the floor, landing with a loud _thud_ onto the dark hardwood floor.

Sheepishly, Leila looked around her dormitory to see if she had awaken her roommates, but the only one who seemed to notice her was Roman. He sat in the alcove with his head cocked in her direction. Leila crawled across the floor to him before she scooped him up in her arms and together they sat in the alcove. She gently pressed a kiss atop his head before he started purring. "You'll never guess what's happened," Leila whispered for only Roman to hear. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you...just don't you go telling anyone now." She paused for a moment as Roman looked up at her. Leaning so that her mouth was near his head, she cupped his ear before whispering, "Draco and I…" Leila stopped for a moment, trying to contain the smile on her face. "Well, we're…"

"Potter, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Pansy scoffed from her bed. Leila's head quickly turned toward Pansy. For a moment, Leila wondered if Pansy could have heard anything she had just spoken, but she reasoned that if Parkinson had heard anything, she probably would have attacked her by now. So, Leila just blinked slowly. "Well? Aren't you going to answer me?"

"I would, but you wouldn't like the answer," Leila retorted before stood up with Roman in her arms and marched out of her dormitory in her pyjamas. Parkinson watched her with a rather angry expression; but Leila ignored the girl. She walked down to the common room. It should be empty yet at this time in the morning. It was still quite some time before breakfast and classes would begin.

Thankfully, her assumption was right. There was no one in the common room. So Leila sat down on an armchair with Roman curled up on her lap. Leila stroked his black fur for a few minutes until the sound of footsteps drew closer. She was surprised when a determined Draco emerged from the entry to the dormitories. He was so focused on something that he didn't even see Leila and he walked right past her. Leila cleared her throat before gently calling his name, "Draco."

Draco stiffened and froze in place. Leila set Roman down on the chair before she walked over to him. When she was behind him, she placed her hand at about his elbow before sliding her hand down his arm until her hand was in his. By the point her hand touched his, she was standing before him with a coy smile on her face. "Hi," Leila said breathlessly.

"Hi," Draco said relaxing a bit; but he still looked over his shoulders to make sure that no one else was there to witness his exchange with Leila.

Leila bit her bottom lip a bit. He certainly didn't seem as excited to see her as she was to see him; but that didn't stop her from reaching for his other hand with her free hand. She looked up at him and his facial expression softened. Unable to put more coherent sentences together, she simply repeated her earlier sentiment, "Hi."

Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at her quizzically. "What's with you? You seem nervous. Since when do I make you nervous?"

"Since last night." Leila looked up at him innocently before she released the breath she had been holding. "Last night-was it all a dream?"

He smirked a bit before he lowered his face toward hers. In almost a whisper he said, "You tell me." Then he slowly pressed his lips on Leila's. She practically melted into him, tightly clinging to his hands which were holding tightly onto hers.

After several kisses, Leila pulled away, still grinning. "No. No, definitely not a dream."

"Good. Dreams are bloody annoying." Draco looked down to find Leila looking up at him with one eyebrow raised, as if she were demanding an explanation. He sighed. He couldn't...not yet. Everything was just so...new. Not to mention that he had important business to attend to. He couldn't let Leila distract him from that no matter how much he desired her. Draco quickly kissed Leila's cheek before he pulled away from her. "I have something I need to go do."

"What do you have to do? I could help you."

Those words practically cut through him. First of all, he couldn't tell her. Second of all, if she knew what she was helping him with-she'd probably kill him. So instead, he simply responded, "I'll see you at breakfast."

Leila seemed satisfied with that answer for a moment until it dawned on her, "But Draco we can't be seen together...well, not like _this._ " Leila's bottom lip protruded a bit as she looked at him.

"Right." Draco slowly mulled things over for a moment. They technically could still interact; but only in the same manner as they had been. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." Little did Draco know that those words would become familiar to Leila many times over the course of the next several months.

Draco looked around the common room again before he chastely kissed Leila and then left the Slytherin dungeon. Leila stood there watching him walk away, not knowing how familiar that sight was about to become to her. But at that moment, she was too happy to even begin to think contrary. She could still feel the warmth from where his lips had brushed hers and pressed her fingers there for a moment. With a contented sigh, Leila turned around to find Roman watching her, which caused her to chuckle.

"Don't you dare tell anyone what you just witnessed," Leila said bending down toward Roman with a finger out in front of her like she was disciplining him. "Especially not Harry." Roman meowed and Leila chuckled before she picked him back up and headed back to her dormitory.

After breakfast, which Draco was absent from, Leila headed to Transfiguration. When she got there, she found Harry already seated at a desk waving her over. With a sigh, Leila told Daphne that she would see her after class before she went and sat beside her brother. She had a feeling that she was going to regret sitting beside him; but she had to try and act as normally as possible...and _normal_ Leila would sit with her brother if he asked her to...unless she was mad at him...which she wasn't. It was all so bloody confusing.

Leila slouched into the desk beside her brother. "Morning, Harry," she responded as she pulled her Transfiguration assignment from her book bag.

Harry didn't respond with a good morning. Instead, he went straight for what he had wanted to talk with her about. "I saw you with him again," Harry said as he took the Marauder's Map from his back pocket and then tapped it against the table.

Her heart stopped for a moment. She had to tell herself to play things cool. That the last thing on earth she wanted was for Harry to find out the _real_ reason. So, Leila rolled her eyes, trying to act more annoyed than guilty. "Are you serious? This again? We had patrol last night."

"That's what Ron said," Harry mused for a moment before coming back to reality. "It saw you two together. You were in the corridor for an awfully long time...you were rather close to each other. What were you doing?"

She had to think quick. Not fully trusting herself to tell a decent lie, she turned it around on Harry. "What do you _think_ we were doing?"

Harry's brow furrowed for a moment before he answered, "Arguing? He didn't seem to happy about the detention McGonagall gave the two of you."

"They really should name you "The Dim-Witted One". It took you long enough to figure that one out," Leila scoffed. Arguing could make sense...despite it not being the truth; but there was no way in hell that she was going to tell Harry that she had actually been snogging Draco. But it also meant that she was going to have to continue to act more antagonistic toward Draco in public if they were to continue the ruse...especially if Harry had the map. "It's what Malfoy and I do...we argue."

"I just don't like seeing you two alone together."

"Well, you're going to have to trust me. I can't help that I have patrol and detention with him; but you also have to remember that _you_ asked me to keep an eye on him."

"Not so closely."

"Believe it or not, Harry, it's less suspicious this way. Your way just adds paranoia. My way keeps me close to him in order to hear or see anything." While it was the truth. It was a lie. She wasn't getting close to Draco for Harry...she was getting close to Draco for herself. Leila pinched the bridge of her nose and then sighed, "You really need to just trust me...and this is the last time we're having _this_ conversation. If I have something to tell you about Dra-Malfoy, I'll tell you." Lie. Lie. Lie. Not to mention that she had almost slipped up and called him Draco. Merlin, this certainly wasn't going to be as easy as she had anticipated that it would.

Harry sighed, "Alright."

"What?" Leila's eyes widened and her head whipped toward her brother at his admission.

"You're right. I should trust you-I mean do trust you. I just don't trust _him_. I only want to make sure he's not hurting you...especially when there's no one else around. It worries me, which is why I keep an eye on you."

"Oh...that's sweet of you...really creepy; but sweet. I promise I can hold my own with him." Leila gave her a gentle smile. Despite how terribly Harry was going about the situation, he did have good intentions toward her. Leila patted her brother's hand before saying, "Now, if you ever see me alone with Parkinson, then you have my permission to swoop in and save me. I suppose the same would apply for Granger...or Snape...or Peeves…"

"Now shut it. I don't need you getting _me_ in trouble with Professor McGonagall too."

"What? You don't want to join Malfoy and me in detention?"

"Been there. Done that. Not something I'm fond of experiencing again. Besides, I already have detention with Snape tonight."

"How disappointing. Snape gave me the night off...to serve my detention with McGonagall."

"He probably just wanted a night off from you. Merlin knows he could probably use one." Harry smirked at his own joke. Leila took the Marauder's Map, which was still in Harry's hands, and whacked him with it. She managed to whack him several more times before he pulled it from her grasp. Neither of them knew that class had begun and that they were now the center of attention.

"And what exactly do we have going on here?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly, suddenly appearing beside them.

Leila winched, unable to look at her teacher. "Not again," she groaned. "I was joking when I said I was going for Dad's record." But much to Leila's surprise, Harry actually took the blame for the situation.

"That would be my fault, Professor," Harry said rather calmly, setting his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I wasn't paying attention and I asked Leila; but she was trying to tell me not to distract her from paying attention...like I should be."

"Is that what happened, Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall questioned. Leila simply looked to her brother before looking back to her professor. She nodded her head slowly and Professor McGonagall sighed. "While I'm not sure I agree with Miss Potter's rather...violent methods, she is right, Mr Potter. I expect you to see an extra two inches on your essay for Monday because of your oversight, Mr Potter."

"Yes, ma'am."

As Professor McGonagall turned her back on the Potter twins to walk back to the front of the room, Leila leaned close to her brother. "What'd you do that for?" she whispered.

"You're my sister. I got you into trouble, so I should be the one to get you out."

Leila wanted to argue with him on that matter, but Professor McGonagall had turned around again. Instead, she opted for an eye roll before picking up her quill to take more notes. When class was over, Leila looked over her shoulder to see Draco still sitting in his seat a few rows behind her. He was watching her carefully. Leila tried to hide her smile from his attention as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and packed her book bag. She turned toward him again, but he wasn't there any longer. He must have left; but that was no matter. It wasn't like she could exactly hold hands with him walking to class or anything...despite how terribly she wanted to. Harry, who was still seated beside her, grumbling about the essay was one of the biggest reasons why.

After Transfiguration on Fridays, Leila had History of Magic. Professor Binns droned on as usual. The only good thing about the class was that she was seated across the room from Draco, looking right at him. Every now and then they would exchange glances expressing their boredom in the class; but Pansy Parkinson would often interrupt them without even knowing she was doing it. In the pit of her stomach, Leila knew she was jealous of Pany begging publicly for Draco's attention; but there wasn't much she could do about it. Although, it did make her feel a tiny bit better when she would make eye contact with Draco and he would nod his head toward Parkinson and then roll his eyes. _That_ made her smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Daphne whispered to her.

"I-uh-you know that watching Parkinson make an utter fool of herself is one of my guilty pleasures," Leila responded in a lie as she could practically feel a blush crawling up her neck. She then nodded across the room to where Pansy sat staring at Draco...and he was obviously ignoring her.

Daphne shook her head. "I'm pretty sure you don't feel bad about enjoying it though-so it's not really a _guilty_ pleasure."

"Oh shut it." Leila then rolled her eyes which caused Daphne to chuckle.

Professor Binns also assigned them an essay for Tuesday. Leila was pretty sure that death was homework was a fairly viable option this year. She had her work cut out for her this weekend and it certainly wasn't going to leave her much time to spend with Draco, something she already craved. She found it almost humorous that she had never realized how much she actually enjoyed the attention he devoted to her...and now she could finally have it...if she got her homework done.

That afternoon Leila walked into the Charms classroom with Daphne. The girls walked to the typical Slytherin side of the room and climbed the small set of stairs to the second tier of of desks which were slightly elevated. Thankfully, it was the last class of the week and then it was the weekend, not that the sixth years would be enjoying much of the weekend. The girls sat down and Leila looked across the room to the entrance just as Draco swaggered through it. His eyes locked with hers for a moment and Leila attempted to hide her smile by biting her lip; but it was damn near impossible to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. With her face aflame, Draco must have realized that he had caused the reaction because he looked away from her with a smirk on his face. Leila tried to shield her face inside her Charms textbook hoping that no one noticed her blushing.

Leila pressed the cool pages of the book to her face to calm the flaming feeling rushing through her cheeks as she took several slow breaths. After a few moments, she was finally able to put down her textbook and thankfully it looked like no one was none the wiser, although she was quite surprised to see Draco seated directly in front of her between Zabini and Goyle. Leila leaned forward a bit and breathed in, inhaling Draco's scent...a scent that she now recognized belonged to the same scent in her whiff of Amortentia. It almost seemed comical how things were making more and more sense and yet at the same time making less sense. She couldn't exactly explain it. Looking across the room, Leila noticed her brother seated in the usual Gryffindor section of the room between Granger and Ron. Granger was babbling on about something, Ron, as usual, wasn't paying attention; but Harry was looking straight across the room...at her.

Had he noticed her acting strange around Draco? She hadn't done anything too out of the ordinary; but then again, she couldn't remember exactly how long Harry had been in the classroom. And if it wasn't enough for Leila's brain to be spinning from that it only became more jumbled when Draco turned around and hissed, "Potter."

For a moment, Leila froze. Was Draco talking to _her_? Hadn't they agreed that they were going to keep things a secret...that no one could know of their _relationship_. But after a brief pause, Draco continued to speak, "Tell Scarhead that it's rude to stare."

Draco raised his eyebrows toward her...and then everything made sense. He was trying to keep up appearances and all she had to do was play along. Leila sat up a little taller and cocked an eyebrow at Draco. "Excuse me?" Leila scoffed.

"You heard me."

"Actually, I tend not to listen when you speak...especially to me."

Draco's face seemed almost amused by her quick retort; but he kept his sneer on his face. "Well, you better listen this time or…"

"Or what?"

"Will you two knock it off?" Daphne groaned. "This," she said pointing between Draco and Leila. "Is getting rather annoying. So why don't both of you shut it."

"I will if he will."

"As if _I'm_ the problem."

"At least you finally admit it."

"Merlin's beard," Daphne grumbled as she knocked her head gently against the wood of the desk.

Both Draco and Leila attempted to hide the smiles that threatened to expose them. If they could convince a close friend, then they more than certainly could convince everyone else. Making sure that no one was watching, Draco gave Leila a slight nod before he swiveled back around so that he was facing the front as class began. Professor Flitwick climbed his podium of books and then began class. By the end of class, even Flitwick couldn't resist from assigning them a small mountain of homework. It was as if the teachers were trying to kill them...with homework.

When class finally concluded, Draco turned back toward her once more and raised his eyebrows at her for a moment. Leila looked at him curiously and all he did was smirk before he pushed past Goyle to escape the tiered desks of the Charms room. After counting to ten in her head, Leila looked around the room to make sure that no one was watching her. Daphne was engrossed in a conversation with Theo, the Carrow twins had already left, and the Gryffindors were just exiting the room. Leila took this as her cue to leave. Just as she exited, she could have sworn that she saw Draco leaning against the wall; but when they made eye contact he quickly rounded the corner.

With determination, Leila took off after him. When she rounded the corner, she saw him round another corner. She attempted to follow him for a few corridors when she lost sight of him altogether. Leila sighed in disappointment in the empty corridor. Maybe he hadn't meant for her to follow him. Maybe she had completely misread things. It wouldn't be the first time she misread things as far as Draco was concerned. She took one last sweeping glance around the corridor and didn't spot him. So, she turned on her heel to head back to the Slytherin common room. She was no more than a few yards away from the place where she had stopped when she heard a voice from behind, "You give up too easily."

Leila turned around to see Draco leaning against the wall a few feet behind her. He didn't look angry, but once again he seemed amused by her actions. She shook her head and walked toward him with a half-smile on her face. When she reached him, she bashfully looked up at him as she pulled her hair behind her ear and whispered, "I-I thought…"

Not allowing her to finish, Draco wrapped his hands around her upper arms before he turned her so that she was now pressed against the wall. Leila's heart began to race faster as she watched him look over his shoulders to see if anyone was watching before he pressed his lips on hers. She couldn't help but respond to his kiss. Despite the fact that her whole word seemed to be swimming before her with every bloody kiss, she didn't want it to end. For reasons unknown to her, everything seemed right about this...yet entirely wrong.

Slowly, Leila's hands reached upward so that she could brace herself as he kissed her. Her hands wrapped around Draco's forearms. Draco gasped from this touch and quickly broke the kiss. He eyed her suspiciously with a slightly cold and calculated look on his face. Leila looked up at him innocently. Draco's icy eyes looked into her emerald ones searching for answers. Leila couldn't be exactly sure what he was looking for; but he must have found what he was looking for because he wrapped his hands around hers before he pulled her arms around his neck and went in for another kiss….and a few more after that.

At dinner that evening, Leila was surprised to see that Draco was actually attending the meal. He purposely sat across from Leila at the table; but was careful not to watch her...too much Although, that didn't stop his foot from reaching under the table and playing with hers. After a few moments, his foot rested on top of hers. Trying to remain in conversation with Theo, Leila tried to pull her foot out from under his and place it on his; but his foot quickly escaped her hold and pinned hers down once again. "Damnit!" Leila growled aloud, much louder than she had anticipated. Theo looked at her oddly and even Draco was watching her out of the corner of her eye as he slowly removed his foot. "I-I just realized that I forgot to get something from my brother," Leila muttered the lie before she stomped her foot down on Draco's. His face contorted a bit, which made Leila smirk before she and Theo continued to talk of Quidditch.

Dessert was Leila's favorite treat, pumpkin pasties. She practically inhaled the first pasty and while she started on her second pasty, owls swooped into the Great Hall to deliver _The Evening Prophet_. Most of the students didn't immediately read it, but in a matter of minutes whispers of Draco's name echoed through the Great Hall. Leila looked over at Draco, who looked thoroughly confused. He snatched the paper Theo had been reading, quickly turning the pages until he suddenly came to a stop. Leila watched as Draco's face turned pale for a moment and then quickly contorted in anger. Draco then looked up to see that most of the Hogwarts' student body was watching him. Uncomfortable from the attention, Draco slammed the paper down onto the table and quickly walked out of the Great Hall.

Noticing how upset Draco was, Leila picked up the paper. She shuffled through the pages until she came to an article on one of the inside pages. Her heart sunk a bit from just looking at the heading, but she continued to read. " _This second search of the Death Eater's residence does not seem to have yielded any results. Arthur Weasley of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects said that his team had been acting upon a confidential tip-off."_

It was no wonder that Draco was so upset. She was so torn. Leila toyed with the idea of chasing after him, but Harry's eyes were glued to her. She knew that _Harry_ had been the one to tip-off Arthur Weasley. He had it written over his face. Leila groaned. She didn't want any suspicious drawn to her, but part of her wanted to make sure that Draco was alright. It was an odd sort of feeling. Never before had she cared when he was upset. In fact, she had used to revel in it. But somehow everything had changed.

After dinner, Leila scanned the corridors for Draco as she walked to choir; but she didn't have any luck finding him. Thoughts of him distracted her as she was supposed to be singing. To think she had thought that she would be _less_ distracted once she and Draco had figured a few things out...if anything, she was almost more distracted by him. When choir ended, Leila headed to Professor McGonagall's room for detention, but was surprised to find that Draco hadn't shown. They waited there for ten minutes with Professor McGonagall slowly drumming her fingers against her desk. It was clear she was annoyed that Draco hadn't bothered to show up. The only good thing about an annoyed McGonagall was that she released Leila from her detention early and she didn't make mention of having to "make-up" the detention, which pleased Leila.

Determined to find Draco, Leila began to wander the corridors after McGonagall excused her. She was so focused on finding him that she completely forgot to avoid a certain part of the castle...a certain part where a certain dinner was being held by a certain professor which a certain Potter had declined an invitation due to her detention. Needless to say, Leila was quite startled to stumble across Professor Slughorn standing in the corridor. "Why Miss Potter, I thought you had detention this evening," the professor questioned as he slowly waddled toward her.

"I-erm-got out early," Leila said immediately regretting telling him the truth.

"Well, by all means, join us inside Leila."

"I-I couldn't possibly attend...especially since I already declined the invitation."

"No matter, come on in. Come on in. At least one of the Potter twins is able to join. I must confess I was disappointed that you both managed to get detention tonight; but I'm delighted that you're able to attend. What a stroke of luck!"

"I-I'm not dressed for a party, sir." At this point, Leila was trying any excuse she could to get out of attending the stupid party; but Slughorn wouldn't budge.

"You look lovely, Miss Potter-so very much like your mother." Professor Slughorn placed a hand on Leila's back and guided her inside, much to her dismay.

Once inside, Leila found the other members of the Slug Club dispersed around the room talking amongst themselves. She found Cormac McLaggen chatting with Marcus Belby. Flora and Hestia Carrow engaged in conversation with Blaise Zabini. Ginny and Hermione Granger were seated on a sofa talking while Melinda Bobbin sat on a chair not talking with anyone. None of the conversations looked very appealing to her. She had figured she should go chat with her Housemates when Ginny waved her over. Leila looked to Granger with a slight look of disgust but she caught Ginny's disappointed expression, so she walked over to them.

"Hey, Leila," Ginny said with a smile. "Why don't you have a seat." Ginny patted the sofa to her right. Rather reluctantly, Leila sat down on the sofa. Mostly because Granger was there, but partly because she could see Blaise Zabini carefully watching her.

"Aren't you supposed to be in detention?" Granger questioned which caused Leila to roll her eyes. "That's what Harry said."

"If you must know Granger, McGonagall let me go early since Dr-Malfoy didn't show," Leila retorted. Granger looked at her oddly for a moment, but Leila shifted her position on the sofa and ignored the look. "Although judging from the looks of things, I'd rather be in detention."

"You're terrible," Ginny laughed.

"No, I'm Leila." Leila chuckled to herself as Ginny groaned at the terrible joke.

Slughorn then announced that it was time for the group to join him at the table for some tea. Leila followed behind Ginny and Granger to the rather large and circular table. She seated herself to Ginny's left and Blaise Zabini sat down at Leila's left, much to the Potter girl's dismay. Not wanting to bother with formalities, Leila slightly turned her back on him so that she was facing Ginny.

With a flick of his wand, Professor Slughorn raised the tea kettle and levitated it around the room, pouring tea into each of their cups. Once Leila's cup was filled, she wrapped her hands around the cup for some warmth, but removed them after a few seconds. She reached for some sugar and poured a couple spoonfuls of sugar into her warm liquid before she brought it to her mouth for a taste. It still wasn't sweet enough, so she added another spoonful. Ginny looked over at her with a raised eyebrow expression and questioned, "Would you like some tea with your sugar?"

"No, but some milk would be lovely, thanks," Leila retorted. Ginny shook her head before she asked Hermione to pass the milk, which the Weasley girl then passed to Leila. Leila poured some milk into her cup before she took another sip. She sighed, it was just right.

"How's Quidditch going?" Ginny asked as she took a sip of her tea which was sugarless and milkless.

"It's….going. You know how it is breaking in the fresh meat." Leila purposely said the last bit a little louder, looking over her shoulder at Zabini who slightly turned to look at her.

"Talking about me, are you?" Blaise questioned.

"Never," Leila said propping her elbow on the table and her head in her hand before giving him an eyebrow raise. "I would never do such a thing."

"Just don't go giving Weasley any of our plays."

"Oh please, I've known all our bloody plays since second year and I haven't spilled them yet. You on the other hand…" Zabini rolled his eyes and shook his head before returning his attention to his tea. Leila chuckled to herself before picking up her tea again and having a sip. When Leila looked to her right, she found Ginny looking at her curiously. So in a puzzled tone, Leila asked, "What?"

"You and Zabini?" Ginny whispered leaning close to Leila's ear.

"What about us?"

"Are you two...you know."

Leila's eyes widened before she gasped, "Oh god no!" She looked over her shoulder once again with an expression of being ready to vomit before turning back to Ginny with a shudder. "No. It's not like that. I-I'm…" Leila had to stop herself. She was going to tell Ginny that she was already seeing somebody, but that would only bring about more questions. Leila bit her bottom lip before continuing. "I'm too busy to be dating anyone anyway. You know what with homework, choir, Quidditch, prefect duties, and more homework...too much to even think about any of _that_. No, I'll have to be content with watching from afar this year."

"You say that now, but when I inevitably catch you snogging someone I'll be sure to remind you of this conversation."

Ginny stared at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow before smiling and picking up her tea. Leila knew that Ginny was teasing her, but she wished she could tell her friend what was going on. But even if she could tell Ginny, now would be a terrible time with Granger and Zabini in close proximity. Leila slowly released the breath she had been holding before rejoining the conversation.

Slughorn was sure to address Leila, only it was mostly about how sad he was Harry couldn't be with them. The way he spoke of Harry, it seemed like she was one third of the Potter twins and Harry was two thirds. She was part of what he wanted, but not the most important part of it. She had a sinking feeling that if she hadn't been attached to Harry, Slughorn probably wouldn't be chasing after her. But then the professor would go and say something comparing her to her mother which made her feel somewhat wanted. Either way, she wasn't quite sure how to read Slughorn and whether he was someone she wanted to associate herself with. But Dumbledore had requested that they get to know him...yet Leila wasn't allowed to know why. It seemed like Dumbledore was allowing her to know nothing. It wasn't like she exactly trusted the man blindly as her brother did; but a sign of good faith now and then wouldn't hurt. Sometimes, it seemed like the only person Leila could trust was herself.

When Professor Slughorn finally excused them for the evening, Leila walked back to the Slytherin dungeon with Blaise, Flora, and Hestia. Once back in the common room, Leila found Theo sitting in an arm chair playing Wizard's Chess against Graham Pritchard. Daphne was not in the common room, so Leila walked over to Theo's armchair and sat down on the arm of it, leaning her elbow on Theo's shoulder. She examined the board. It looked like Theo was winning, but not by much. "You know, if you…" Leila started pointing her finger at the pieces.

"Shut it, Potter," Graham interrupted. "He doesn't need your help."

"I was going to help _you."_

"Then by all means go on."

"No, I think I'll shut it." Leila gave Graham a fake smile which made Theo chuckle. Graham muttered something under his breath as Theo ordered one of his pieces to move. Leila scanned the common room, but once again failed to see Draco anywhere. She couldn't exactly go to his dormitory to see if he was there nor could she look at the bloody Marauder's Map because Harry had it. No, she was going to have to do this the old fashioned way. Leila took a breath trying to steady her breathing, not wanting to give herself away. "Has Malfoy come back?" Leila asked calmly.

"No. Why?" Theo asked looking to Leila curiously. Even Graham from across the board looked at Leila.

Leila rolled her eyes and put on her annoyed act. "He skipped detention...again. And I was hoping that McGonagall got to him. Maybe transfigured him into a ferret again."

"McGonagall wouldn't do that," Graham responded as he managed to decimate one of Theo's pieces. "It's against the rules and McGonagall is a stickler for the rules."

"No, but one can hope, can't they?" Leila smiled for a second before jumping off the arm of the chair before pulling her wand out of her robe pocket. She looked at her wand with a smirk before she looked back over to Theo. "I-I'll be back."

Theo looked at Leila curiously. "Where are you going?"

"Well, if McGonagall isn't going to turn him into a ferret again, then I will. Just have to find him first." Leila flipped her hair before she headed for the door. Theo and Graham watched as Leila walked up the stairs and disappeared through the door to the corridor.

Graham looked to Theo with a slightly worried expression. "You don't think she's actually gonna do it, do you?" Graham asked. "Turn Malfoy into a ferret?"

"Well, she did rather enjoy it last time he turned into one," Theo chuckled before continuing. "Let's just say for his sake I hope Malfoy is better at hiding than Leila is at Transfiguration." Theo smirked as one of his pieces moved. "Checkmate."

Once in the corridors, Leila hadn't a clue where to possibly find Draco. The only thing she was sure of was that he wasn't in the Slytherin dungeon. So, she began to wander the corridors, being sure to check any place that could possibly have significance for Draco. After nearly a half hour of searching, she found him up in the Astronomy Tower scanning the Hogwarts landscape. "Draco?" Leila gently called.

Draco looked over his shoulder at Leila for a moment, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he just turned around once again. Leila slowly approached him until she was standing beside him, leaning against the railing. He still didn't say anything. So, she reached her hand over and rested it on top of his. He turned to look at her, but still, he didn't utter a word.

Leila slowly began to rub circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. Honestly, she wasn't quite sure what she was doing. While she wanted to be there for him, she wasn't exactly sure what to say or do. She certainly didn't want to throw Harry under the proverbial bus; but Leila had her suspicions that Draco knew it was Harry. With a sigh, she rested her head on Draco's shoulder. "We can talk about whatever's bothering you, you know," Leila whispered to him.

"I don't want to talk about it," Draco said rather coldly.

Picking her head from his shoulder, Leila leaned her head so that she could see his face. It seemed so void of emotions. Leila bit her lip as she brushed her hand against his cheek. "Then what do you want Draco?"

Draco's face turned to look at hers. For a moment, Leila thought he was going to open up to her; but instead, his actions surprised her. His hands flew to her cheeks before he roughly kissed her. Walking her backward as he kissed her, Draco leaned her up against one of the pillars. While it wasn't exactly what she expected, Leila could handle _this_. Kissing Draco Malfoy wasn't entirely terrible.

* * *

 **Author's note: We get some Draco/Leila fluff this chapter. I really do love them...but they're gonna have some issues. Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed/favorited. It means the world to me. :)**

* * *

 **NCISWINCHESTERPOTTER:** I loved the Jily flashback too! There were no flashbacks this chapter, but I'm ok with that. Haha. Yes, they are together and they're definitely in a sort of "honeymoon period" with each other.

 **Wayward Jules:** Meh, I'll live. Haha. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Yes, Draco and Leila are so cute together. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 **You'veGotMail24:** It was. They have things figured out...for now. Harry's keeping LEila out of things because Dumbledore asked him to. There weren't any flashbacks this chapter, but I'm glad you like them.

 **Understanding the Inevitable:** Yay! I'm feeling ok now, so thanks! Hope the update was worth it.

 **TheeAbominableSnowman:** I'm so flattered that you're enjoying it! Yeah, she is. I mean, she always was...I just wasn't very good at communicating that last time. Lol.

 **Slow Dancing in the Snow:** I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the compliments. :) Your questions will be answered...eventually. Haha.

 **ICanHearItCallingMe:** D'awww thanks for reviewing! I'm flattered you like it!

 **Skip4Now:** D'awww thanks!

 **S0ME0NELIKEYOU** : Yay! I'm glad you liked it!

 **Mashed Potato Angels:** D'awww, I'm flattered. I am. I am. But I mean, I think we all know how it's going to end. Lol. Well, you got a little look at how they are at keeping things secret...and someone isn't very good at it. Haha.

 **Guest (1):** Thanks!

 **AriaHowell:** Haha! Yeah! I was surprised by that one, but I just had to write that Jily flashback! Yeah, she has kissed way more...but in her defense, most of them were because she was trying to feel something after Cedric died. I hope this one was ok. :)

 **SlytherinWinchester:** Holy cow! Your reviews always make me happy! :) They're always so long and detailed which I love. So thanks for that!

 **Nixdragon:** Yeah yeah you like Dreila over Freila. Sorry things are worse. Haha.

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx:** I'm flattered that you're enjoying the new stuff. :)

 **WaitingForTheLights:** Yeah, I agree it took them forever. And if I would have written all the other books, it really would have taken forever. You're on to something about the honeymoon phase lol

 **DragonfireOfHope:** Yeah, kinda off book here for a bit.

 **That Was Spooky:** I'm glad you're liking my HP story. :) I hope you enjoy my SPN one when you get to it.

 **Across the Landz:** Yay! They are adorable! Yes, parallel away!

 **DoYouSeeWhatIMean:** Thanks for all the reviews!

 **ColdAndBrokenHallelujah:** More fluff! Haha.

 **NeverLetMeGoPlease:** I'm flattered that you like my writing. :) D'awww favorite author? Lol.

 **GraceFaithHopeLove:** Yes, yes they are. They're getting there! Haha.

 **Maddie Rose:** Haha-don't worry about it! I'm glad you're enjoying Draco/Leila. Oh, someone will find out. It's just a matter of who. Lol.

 **HardRockPrincess:** Your review literally made my day when I got it. :) I'm glad you think that I'm doing my story some justice. That's what I was going for and I was nervous about it. I love all your insights! Especially given the fact that you've read the original!

 **Hidden Journey:** I don't remember what you're hurting me for...haha. But I'm glad you like it!

 **Marshmallow Attack:** Yay! Thanks!

 **Dropping Off Secrets:** Yay! Thanks

 **Hyun2yong:** I messaged you about this, but it's been a year since I first published...not updated. I actually updated like a month ago...and now. But I'm glad you like my story.


End file.
